Shloka 2.24.12

कौशल्यारामसंवादः — Kausalya–Rama Dialogue on Exile-Dharma

Devanagari script

भर्तुः किल परित्यागो नृशंसः केवलं स्त्रियाः।स भवत्या न कर्तव्यो मनसाऽपि विगर्हितः।।2.24.12।।

Transliteration

bhartuḥ kila parityāgo nṛśaṃsaḥ kevalaṃ striyāḥ | sa bhavatyā na kartavyo manasā ’pi vigarhitaḥ ||

Translation

For a woman, abandoning her husband is indeed a cruel act; you must not do it—an act blameworthy even to entertain in the mind.

Context

For a woman, to desert her husband is a cruel act. You must not do that which is contemptible even to think.

Characters & Entities

• Rāma
• Kauśalyā
• Daśaratha (implied as husband)

FAQs

What is the core ethical principle (Dharma) in this verse?

The verse teaches steadfast loyalty and care within marriage, condemning abandonment as cruelty and as morally wrong even at the level of intention.

What is the narrative situation?

Rāma counsels Kauśalyā not to leave or withdraw from Daśaratha after Rāma departs for exile.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Rāma’s moral clarity and protective concern for family order (maryādā) in a moment of emotional upheaval.