Shloka 2.38.2
अयोध्याकाण्डे अष्टत्रिंशः सर्गः — Sita in Bark Garments; Public Outcry and Dasaratha’s Lament
तेन तत्र प्रणादेन दुःखितस्स महीपतिः।चिच्छेद जीविते श्रद्धां धर्मे यशसि चात्मनः।।।।
tena tatra praṇādena duḥkhitaḥ sa mahīpatiḥ | ciccheda jīvite śraddhāṃ dharme yaśasi cātmanaḥ ||
Struck by grief at that cry resounding there, the lord of the earth lost all confidence in life—indeed in his own dharma and in his honour as well.
Hearing that tumult the distressed Dasaratha lost faith in his own life and in his righteousness.
The verse shows the moral cost when dharma and truth are experienced as fractured: a ruler’s inner faith (śraddhā) is essential to uphold righteous governance.
Following the tumult in the palace during the exile crisis, Daśaratha is emotionally broken and loses hope in life and in his own righteousness.
Not a virtue but a collapse: Daśaratha’s loss of inner steadiness highlights how grief can undermine a king’s sense of dharma and honour.