Shloka 2.24.2
कौशल्यारामसंवादः — Kausalya–Rama Dialogue on Exile-Dharma
अदृष्टदुःखो धर्मात्मा सर्वभूतप्रियंवदः।मयि जातो दशरथात्कथमुञ्छेन वर्तयेत्।।2.24.2।।
adṛṣṭa-duḥkho dharmātmā sarva-bhūta-priyaṃ-vadaḥ | mayi jāto daśarathāt katham uñchena vartayet || 2.24.2 ||
How will Rāma—righteous by nature, gentle-spoken to all beings, and never before acquainted with suffering—born to me through Daśaratha, sustain himself by gleaning scattered grains?
How will this righteous Rama, born to me through Dasaratha, who speaks pleasantly to all, and who has not experienced any sorrow before live on the grains gleaned?
Dharma is portrayed as costly: Kauśalyā recognizes Rāma’s righteousness yet worries about the real, bodily hardship that dharma may demand—making the moral choice emotionally and practically weighty.
Kauśalyā reflects with anguish on how the sheltered Rāma will endure austere forest living, including subsisting by gleaning.
Rāma’s gentle conduct toward all beings and his dharmic disposition are praised, while Kauśalyā’s maternal compassion frames the scene.