Shloka 2.33.14
त्रयस्त्रिंशः सर्गः — Civic Lament and Rama’s Dutiful Approach to Daśaratha
पीडया पीडितं सर्वं जगदस्य जगत्पतेः।मूलस्येवोपघातेन वृक्षः पुष्पफलोपगः।।।।
pīḍayā pīḍitaṃ sarvaṃ jagad asya jagatpateḥ | mūlasyevopaghātena vṛkṣaḥ puṣpaphalopagaḥ ||
When he—the lord of the world—suffers, the whole world suffers with him; just as a tree bearing flowers and fruits collapses when its root is struck.
Just as severed at the root, an entire tree along with its fruits and flowers is destroyed, similarly the whole world gets afflicted when Rama, the ruler of the world, comes to harm.
Dharma is framed as the protection of the life-root of society: harming a righteous leader harms the entire moral ecosystem.
The people interpret Rāma’s exile not as a private tragedy but as a catastrophe for the whole kingdom.
Rāma’s role as a stabilizing moral root—his righteousness is depicted as the basis for flourishing (flowers/fruits).