Valmiki Ramayana 2.38.2: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 38, Shloka 2
अयोध्याकाण्डे अष्टत्रिंशः सर्गः
Sita in Bark Garments; Public Outcry and Dasaratha’s Lament
तेन तत्र प्रणादेन दुःखितस्स महीपतिः।चिच्छेद जीविते श्रद्धां धर्मे यशसि चात्मनः।।।।
tena tatra praṇādena duḥkhitaḥ sa mahīpatiḥ | ciccheda jīvite śraddhāṃ dharme yaśasi cātmanaḥ ||
ત્યાં ગુંજેલા તે કરુણ પ્રણાદથી દુઃખિત થયેલા ભૂપતિએ જીવન પ્રત્યેનો વિશ્વાસ તોડી નાંખ્યો; પોતાના ધર્મ અને યશ પ્રત્યે પણ તેની શ્રદ્ધા ક્ષીણ થઈ ગઈ.
Hearing that tumult the distressed Dasaratha lost faith in his own life and in his righteousness.
FAQs
The verse shows the moral cost when dharma and truth are experienced as fractured: a ruler’s inner faith (śraddhā) is essential to uphold righteous governance.
Following the tumult in the palace during the exile crisis, Daśaratha is emotionally broken and loses hope in life and in his own righteousness.
Not a virtue but a collapse: Daśaratha’s loss of inner steadiness highlights how grief can undermine a king’s sense of dharma and honour.
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