Shloka 2.18.34
अष्टादशः सर्गः — Kaikeyī Discloses the Boons: Exile to Daṇḍaka and Bharata’s Consecration
यदि सत्यप्रतिज्ञं त्वं पितरं कर्तुमिच्छसि।आत्मानं च नरश्रेष्ठ मम वाक्यमिदं शृणु।।।।
yadi satya-pratijñaṃ tvaṃ pitaraṃ kartum icchasi |
ātmānaṃ ca naraśreṣṭha mama vākyam idaṃ śṛṇu ||2.18.34||
If you wish your father to be true to his vow—and you yourself as well, O best of men—then listen to these words of mine.
O the best of men if you want to be true to the word given by you and your father, listen to what I say.
Satya as a binding moral force: Kaikeyī frames the situation as preserving the truth of Daśaratha’s pledge and Rāma’s integrity, making promise-keeping the central ethical demand.
Kaikeyī prepares Rāma to accept the terms of the boons by presenting them as necessary to uphold truth and pledged duty.
Rāma’s reputation for being satya-pratijña (true to vows) is invoked as the lever to secure compliance.