Valmiki Ramayana 2.14.1: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 14, Shloka 1
सत्यपाशः · Kaikeyi’s Demand and the Noose of the King’s Promise
Setting: Ayodhyā palace interior (royal chamber/court)Places named: Ayodhyā (implicit)
पुत्रशोकार्दितं पापा विसंज्ञं पतितं भुवि ।
विवेष्टमानमुद्वीक्ष्य सैक्ष्वाकमिदमब्रवीत् ॥१॥
putraśokārditaṃ pāpā visaṃjñaṃ patitaṃ bhuvi |
viveṣṭamānam udvīkṣya saikṣvākaṃ idam abravīt ||1||
राजा ज़मीन पर गिर गया था। वो अपने बेटा के लिए बहुत दुखी था। उसने होश खो दिया था। यह देख के उस पापी औरत ने यह बात कही।
Sandhi Notes
- विवेष्टमानमुद्वीक्ष्य → विवेष्टमानम् उद्वीक्ष्य
- सैक्ष्वाकम् → सः ऐक्ष्वाकम्
- इदमब्रवीत् → इदम् अब्रवीत्
The evil woman (Kaikeyi) said to the king of the Ikshvaku race who lay unconscious on the floor writhing and tormented with grief on account of his son.
The teaching
When desire hardens into coercion, it can topple both household and kingdom; grief exposes the fragility of worldly power.
Duties in tension
- King+cs duty to uphold boons/promises
- Husband/father+cs duty of care and fairness
- Queen+cs duty to protect dynasty vs personal ambition (as framed by text)
- Ethical theme
- Abuse of power; coercion within dharma frameworks
For your practice
Meditation on compassion and restraint in speech; vigilance against manipulative intent.
Mood and themes
- Rasa
- Karuna (compassion), with Raudra (fury)
- Mood
- Shattering, pitiful, ominous
Themes
- Dharma
- Satya
- Adharma
- Court intrigue
- Compassion vs cruelty
Avidyā-driven identification (I am father/king) intensifies śoka; the fall to the ground mirrors the fall of egoic control.
Bǥhadāraṇyaka reflections on śoka arising from duality; here separation from the beloved son triggers collapse.
- Kaikeyi and Dasharatha
- Queen-consort pressuring husband-king (cold coercion vs helpless grief)
- Dasharatha and Rama
- Father devastated by impending separation (overwhelming sorrow)
Mahābhārata (Udyoga/Strīparva motifs): rulers undone by grief and counsel; Rāmacaritamānasa Ayodhyākāṇḍa (Daśaratha+cs collapse; Kaikeyī+cs harshness)
Itihāsa trope of the king+cs body mirroring the state+cs disorder
2.12-2.13 (Daśaratha+cs shock and lament)
Anuṣṭubh
Solemn
Heavy mandra (lower register) on +cpatitaṃ bhuvi+c; sharper udātta on +cpāpā+c
FAQs
Dharma highlights compassion toward the suffering; the verse frames Kaikeyī’s lack of empathy as adharma against a grieving husband and king.
Daśaratha collapses from sorrow upon hearing the demands; Kaikeyī, unmoved, prepares to press him further.
By contrast: the absence of compassion in Kaikeyī is foregrounded, serving as a moral warning.
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