Shloka 2.9.17
मन्थराप्रेरणा—वरद्वय-स्मरणं च (Manthara’s Provocation and the Recalling of Two Boons)
तुष्टेन तेन दत्तौ ते द्वौ वरौ शुभदर्शने।स त्वयोक्तः पतिर्देवि यदेच्छेयं तदा वरौ।।।।गृह्णीयामिति तत्तेन तथेत्युक्तं महात्मना।
tuṣṭena tena dattau te dvau varau śubhadarśane |
sa tvayoktaḥ patir devi yad eccheyaṃ tadā varau ||
gṛhṇīyām iti tat tena tathety uktaṃ mahātmanā ||
“O fair-looking queen! Pleased with you, he granted you two boons. And you told your husband, ‘Whenever I wish, then I shall claim those boons.’ To that, the great-souled king replied, ‘So be it.’”
O auspicious-looking one! out of gratitude he had granted two boons to you (for saving him on two occasions). O queen! then you told your husband that whenever you desire, you will ask for those boons. The magnanimous king said, 'So be it'.
It establishes that Dasharatha has verbally assented (“so be it”) to Kaikeyi’s right to claim the two boons later; this consent becomes a truth-binding promise that he struggles to uphold when the boons are demanded.
In the epic’s moral framework, a boon once granted is treated as a solemn commitment; dharma requires the giver—especially a king—to honor his word, even when fulfilling it brings personal suffering and political loss.