Shloka 2.39.40

एकोनचत्वारिंशः सर्गः — Dasaratha’s Lament, Sumantra’s Commission, and Sita’s Vow of Marital Dharma

Devanagari script

जज्ञेऽथ तासां सन्नादः क्रौञ्चीनामिव निस्वनः।मानवेन्द्रस्य भार्याणामेवं वदति राघवे।।2.39.40।।

Transliteration

ekasyāḥ khalu kaikeyyāḥ kṛte 'yaṃ kliśyate janaḥ | svārthe prayatamānāyāḥ saṃśritya nikṛtiṃ tv imām || 2.39.7 ||

Translation

Indeed, because of Kaikeyī alone the people suffer—she, striving for her own gain, has taken refuge in this deceit.

Context

While Rama said so, there arose a loud cry of the wives of the king like the cry of the female herons.

Characters & Entities

• Daśaratha
• Kaikeyī

FAQs

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

Condemnation of svārtha (selfishness) and nikṛti (deceit): private ambition that violates truth and harms the many is portrayed as adharma.

What is the narrative situation?

Daśaratha attributes the widespread misery in the palace to Kaikeyī’s self-serving plot that triggers Rāma’s exile.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Moral discernment—recognizing deceit as ethically corrosive and socially destructive.