Valmiki Ramayana 2.43.18: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 43, Shloka 18
कौशल्याविलापः · Kausalya’s Lament and the Vision of Rama’s Return
साहं गौरिव सिंहेन विवत्सा वत्सला कृता ।
कैकेय्या पुरुषव्याघ्र बालवत्सेव गौर्बलात् ॥१८॥
sāhaṃ gaur iva siṃhena vivatsā vatsalā kṛtā |
kaikeyyā puruṣavyāghra bālavatsā iva gaur balāt ||18||
और मैं, जैसे गाय अपने बच्चे को प्यार करती है, वैसे ही कैकेयी ने मुझे बच्चे से जुदा कर दिया। जैसे कोई शेर बच्चे को जबरदस्ती माँ से छीन ले, वैसे कैकेयी ने मेरा बेटा मुझसे छीन लिया।
O best of men! I have been forcibly separated from my affectionate son by Kaikeyi just like a cow from its calf by a lion.
FAQs
Dharma includes protecting natural bonds of care (mother and child) and preventing coercive harm. The verse condemns forceful separation as a violation of humane order.
Kausalya describes the pain of losing Rama, blaming Kaikeyi for violently severing the mother–son bond.
Kausalya’s unwavering maternal devotion (vātsalya), presented as natural and sacred.
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