Ramayana — Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 12, Shloka 33
द्वादशः सर्गः — Kaikeyi’s Boons and Dasaratha’s Moral Collapse
Ayodhya Kanda 12
क्षमा यस्मिन्दमस्त्याग सत्यं धर्मः कृतज्ञता।अप्यहिंसा च भूतानां तमृते का गतिर्मम।।।।
kṣamā yasmin damas tyāga satyaṃ dharmaḥ kṛtajñatā |
apy ahiṃsā ca bhūtānāṃ tam ṛte kā gatir mama ||
Sin él—Rāma—en quien moran el perdón, el dominio de sí, la renuncia, la verdad, el dharma, la gratitud y la no violencia hacia todos los seres, ¿qué camino o refugio me queda?
Where is the refuge for me without him in whom dwell forgiveness, forbearance, renunciation, truthfulness, righteousness, gratefulness and also nonviolence towards all living beings?
FAQs
Dharma is portrayed as a lived moral ecology—truth, gratitude, self-restraint, and ahiṃsā—whose absence makes life directionless.
Daśaratha expresses despair at the prospect of losing Rāma (through exile), describing him as the very embodiment of sustaining virtues.
Ahiṃsā and kṛtajñatā alongside satya—Rāma’s compassion and gratitude are central to his dharmic identity.