Shloka 2.42.30
द्विचत्वारिंशः सर्गः — दशरथस्य शोक-विलापः तथा कौशल्यागृह-प्रवेशः (Dasaratha’s Lament and Return to Kausalya’s Apartments)
पुत्रद्वयविहीनं च स्नुषयापि विवर्जितम्।अपश्यद्भवनं राजा नष्टचन्द्रमिवाम्बरम्।।।।
tasya dakṣiṇam anvāgāt kauśalyā bāhum aṅganā | vāmaṃ cāsyānvagāt pārśvaṃ kaikeyī bharatapriyā ||
Kausalyā, his queen, came to his right arm, while Kaikeyī—dear to Bharata—came to his left side.
To the king, the palace deserted by his two sons and his daughter-in-law, seemed like the sky without the Moon.
Dharma here appears as familial duty in crisis: queens attend the suffering king, reflecting care, responsibility, and the household’s obligation to support the ruler in distress.
After the upheaval surrounding Rāma’s departure, Daśaratha is physically and emotionally weakened; Kausalyā and Kaikeyī move to support him at his sides.
Attentive service and presence in suffering—especially Kausalyā’s supportive closeness; the verse also frames Kaikeyī’s proximity with irony given her role in the calamity.