Shloka 2.49.8
एकोनपञ्चाशः सर्गः (Sarga 49): Rāma’s Night Journey Beyond Kosala and the Charioteer Address
अहो दशरथो राजा निस्नेहः स्वसुतं प्रियम्।प्रजानामनघं रामं परित्यक्तुमिहेच्छति।।।।
aho daśaratho rājā nisnehaḥ svasutaṃ priyam |
prajānām anaghaṃ rāmaṃ parityaktum ihēcchati ||
Alas—King Daśaratha, bereft of affection, now wishes to abandon here his own beloved son, the sinless Rāma, who is dear to the people.
Alas, the loveless king Dasaratha now intends to abandon his own sinless son Rama who is dear to the subjects.
It stresses that a ruler and father should uphold duty grounded in affection and justice; abandoning the blameless who benefit the people is seen as a failure of rājadharma.
The populace interprets the exile as Daśaratha’s abandonment of a beloved and blameless heir, lamenting the moral inversion of the kingdom’s decision.
Rāma’s blamelessness (anagha) and popularity—he is “dear to the subjects”—are emphasized.