Valmiki Ramayana 2.13.3: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 13, Shloka 3
अयोध्याकाण्डे त्रयोदशः सर्गः | Kaikeyi Presses the Boons; Dasaratha’s Lament and Collapse
Spoken by Kaikeyi to DasharathaSetting: Ayodhyā (Daśaratha’s inner apartments/royal chamber implied)
त्वं कत्थसे महाराज सत्यवादी दृढव्रतः ।
मम चेमं वरं कस्माद्विधारयितुमिच्छसि ॥३॥
tvaṃ katthase mahārāja satyavādī dṛḍha-vrataḥ |
mama cemaṃ varaṃ kasmād vidhārayitum icchasi ||3||
Tú te jactas, oh gran rey, de ser veraz y firme en tu voto; ¿por qué, entonces, deseas ahora eludir concederme este don?
Sandhi Notes
- चेमम् = च + इमम्
- कस्माद्विधारयितुमिच्छसि = कस्मात् + विधारयितुम् + इच्छसि (t + v → d v; m + i → m i with sandhi)
O great king! you used to boast that you always speak the truth and are steadfast in your vows. Why are you now seeking to avoid granting me this boon?
The teaching
A promise, once publicly or solemnly given, becomes a binding moral force; yet its enforcement can be exploited, revealing how dharma can be turned into a weapon.
Duties in tension
- Satya-vrata (keeping one’s pledged boon)
- Pitr̥-dharma (protecting and retaining the beloved son)
- Rāja-dharma (maintaining moral authority and public trust)
- Ethical theme
- Truthfulness vs consequential harm (promise-keeping under coercion)
For your practice
Reflection on satya as a personal vow: examine whether one’s ‘truth’ is being used to justify harm; cultivate truthful speech with discernment (viveka).
Mood and themes
- Rasa
- Raudra (fury), with Karuna (compassion)
- Mood
- Accusatory, taunting, unyielding
Themes
- Satya
- Dharma
- Ethics
- Itihasa
- Promise
Satya as a defining mark of dharmic order (ṛta) that sustains the self’s integrity; breach fractures inner coherence.
Taittirīya Upaniṣad: "satyam vada" (speak truth) as a foundational injunction; the verse weaponizes that injunction as moral leverage.
- Kaikeyi and Dasharatha
- Queen-consort challenging husband-king; claimant of promised boons (adversarial)
- Kaikeyi and Boon
- Rights-claim over royal promise (demanding)
Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.12 (Kaikeyī invoking the two boons and Daśaratha’s promise); Mahābhārata: Śānti/Anuśāsana discussions on satya and vow-keeping as kingly dharma (general parallel)
Vedic-ethical ideal of satya/ṛta (broad allusion)
Ayodhyākāṇḍa: Daśaratha’s earlier oath/boon-granting to Kaikeyī (immediately preceding narrative)
Anuṣṭup (śloka)
Commanding
Madhyama-gati with sharp udātta emphasis on "satyavādī" and "varaṃ"
FAQs
Satya as dharma is invoked as binding: a vow publicly claimed must be honored, and moral identity is tested when fulfillment is painful.
Kaikeyī challenges Daśaratha, reminding him of his reputation for truth and insisting he grant her promised boon.
The ideal of satyavāditva (truth-speaking) and dṛḍha-vrata (steadfastness in vows), though used here as pressure.
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