Shloka 11
कौसल्याविलापः
Kausalya’s Lament and Ethical Analogies on Kingship
यदि पञ्चदशे वर्षे राघवः पुनरेष्यति।जह्याद्राज्यं च कोषं च भरतो नोपलक्षयते।।2.61.11।।
yadi pañcadaśe varṣe rāghavaḥ punar eṣyati |
jahyād rājyaṃ ca koṣaṃ ca bharato nopalakṣyate ||
यदि पन्द्रहवें वर्ष में भी राघव लौट आएँ, तो भी भरत राज्य और कोष छोड़ देगा—ऐसा प्रतीत नहीं होता।
Even if Rama returns in the fifteenth year, it is unlikely that Bharata will give up the kingdom and royal treasury (in favour of Rama).
FAQs
Dharma touches governance and legitimacy: rightful succession should be protected, and decisions must consider long-term justice, not merely immediate promises.
Kauśalyā fears that once Bharata is installed, power will not be returned to Rāma even after the exile term ends.
Kauśalyā’s prudence and concern for justice—she highlights how political power can become sticky and ethically perilous.