Ramayana — Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 40, Shloka 30
प्रयाणवर्णनम्
Departure from Ayodhya; Civic Lament and the Chariot’s Urgency
पिता हि राजा काकुत्स्थः श्रीमान् सन्नस्तदाऽभवत्।परिपूर्णः शशी काले ग्रहेणोपप्लुतो यथा।।।।
pitā hi rājā kākutsthaḥ śrīmān sannaḥ tadā’bhavat | paripūrṇaḥ śaśī kāle graheṇopapluto yathā ||
Entonces el padre—el rey de la estirpe de Kakutstha—aunque espléndido, se ensombreció, como la luna llena cuando, en el eclipse, es apresada por el graha (Rāhu).
The king born in the race of Kakutstha, though bright, looked dull then like the full Moon eclipsed (by Rahu).
FAQs
The verse points to the tension between satya (truthfulness to vows) and personal well-being: the king’s radiance is eclipsed by the consequences of his binding promises.
As Rāma’s exile becomes real, Daśaratha’s vitality collapses; the narrator depicts his condition through the image of an eclipsed full moon.
Implicitly, the gravity of kingship and vow-bound duty—Daśaratha bears the weight of his own commitment even as it destroys his peace.