Shloka 2.24.13

कौशल्यारामसंवादः — Kausalya–Rama Dialogue on Exile-Dharma

Devanagari script

यावज्जीवति काकुत्स्थः पिता मे जगतीपतिः।शुश्रूषा क्रियतां तावत्सहि धर्मस्सनातनः।।2.24.13।।

Transliteration

yāvaj jīvati kākutsthaḥ pitā me jagatīpatiḥ | śuśrūṣā kriyatāṃ tāvat sa hi dharmas sanātanaḥ ||

Translation

So long as my father—the Kakutstha, lord of the earth—lives, you must serve and attend upon him; for this indeed is the eternal dharma.

Context

As long as the king, my father, the lord of the earth, a descendant of Kakutshta lives, you shall serve him. This is eternal virtue (in a woman).

Characters & Entities

• Rāma
• Kauśalyā
• Daśaratha (pitā, jagatīpati, kākutstha)

FAQs

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

Attentive service to one’s spouse/elder and sustaining the household-king is presented as an ‘eternal’ moral obligation—dharma expressed as care, not merely rule-following.

What is the narrative situation?

Rāma instructs Kauśalyā that her duty is to remain with and serve Daśaratha while he lives, despite the impending exile.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Rāma’s reverence for elders and his insistence that dharma continues through service, even when circumstances are unjust.