Shloka 2.61.3

कौसल्याविलापः — Kausalya’s Lament and Ethical Analogies on Kingship

Devanagari script

कथं नरवरश्रेष्ठ पुत्रौ तौ सह सीतया।दुःखितौ सुखसंवृद्धौ वने दुःखं सहिष्यतः।।2.61.3।।

Transliteration

kathaṃ naravaraśreṣṭha putrau tau saha sītayā | duḥkhitau sukhasaṃvṛddhau vane duḥkhaṃ sahiṣyataḥ || 2.61.3 ||

Translation

O best of kings, how will those two sons of yours, together with Sita—reared in comfort and now stricken with sorrow—endure suffering in the forest?

Context

O Dasaratha, the best among kings, how will your two sons and Sita brought up in great comfort now tolerate the hardships of forest life?

Characters & Entities

• Daśaratha
• Rāma
• Lakṣmaṇa (implied by 'two sons')
• Sītā
• Forest (vana)

FAQs

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

Dharma is tested not only by vows and obedience but by compassion and proportionality: Kausalyā implies that a king’s decisions should not impose needless suffering on the innocent and the righteous.

What is the narrative situation?

Kausalyā pictures the physical and emotional hardships awaiting Rāma, Lakṣmaṇa, and Sītā in exile, questioning Daśaratha’s ability to bear moral responsibility for that suffering.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

The endurance and duty-bound resolve expected of Rāma’s party is implied, while Kausalyā’s maternal compassion is explicit.