Ramayana — Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 12, Shloka 6
द्वादशः सर्गः — Kaikeyi’s Boons and Dasaratha’s Moral Collapse
Ayodhya Kanda 12
चिरेण तु नृप स्संज्ञां प्रतिलभ्य सुदुःखितः।।।।कैकेयीमब्रवीत्क्रुद्धःप्रदहन्निव चक्षुषा।
cireṇa tu nṛpaḥ saṃjñāṃ pratilabhya suduḥkhitaḥ |
kaikeyīm abravīt kruddhaḥ pradahann iva cakṣuṣā ||
Tras largo rato, el rey, hondamente afligido, recobró el sentido; y, airado, con los ojos como si ardieran, habló a Kaikeyī.
When several virtuous and learned elders ask me about Rama, what shall I tell them?
FAQs
The verse frames the moral crisis: when dharma is threatened, even a king is shaken; it sets the stage for the ethical conflict between promise-keeping and justice.
Daśaratha, having fainted in grief, regains consciousness and turns in anger to address Kaikeyī.
Not a virtue but a human condition is highlighted—grief and anger—showing the psychological weight that precedes dharmic decision-making.