Shloka 2.18.32
अष्टादशः सर्गः — Kaikeyī Discloses the Boons: Exile to Daṇḍaka and Bharata’s Consecration
पुरा दैवासुरे युद्धे पित्रा ते मम राघव।रक्षितेन वरौ दत्तौ सशल्येन महारणे।।।।
purā daivāsure yuddhe pitrā te mama rāghava |
rakṣitena varau dattau saśalyena mahā-raṇe ||2.18.32||
In the past, O Rāghava, in the great war between gods and demons, when your father was wounded and I protected him, he granted me two boons.
O descendant of Raghu in the great war between gods and demons in the past your father had granted me two boons for protecting him when he was wounded by a shaft.
The binding power of promised boons: dharma in kingship includes honoring pledged rewards, especially when granted for protection and service.
Kaikeyī reminds Rāma of the origin of her two boons from Daśaratha, setting the basis for her present demands.
The implied virtue is fidelity to promises (satya) as a royal standard—though Kaikeyī uses it strategically.