Ramayana — Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 12, Shloka 22
द्वादशः सर्गः — Kaikeyi’s Boons and Dasaratha’s Moral Collapse
Ayodhya Kanda 12
तस्य धर्मात्मनो देवि वनवासं यशस्विनः।कथं रोचयसे भीरु नव वर्षाणि पञ्च च।।।।
tasya dharmātmano devi vanavāsaṃ yaśasvinaḥ | kathaṃ rocayase bhīru nava varṣāṇi pañca ca ||
ឱ ព្រះនាងមហេសី (ទេវី) ព្រះរាម អ្នកមានធម៌ក្នុងចិត្ត និងមានកិត្តិយស—ហេតុអ្វីបានជាព្រះនាងចង់ឲ្យព្រះអង្គទៅស្នាក់នៅព្រៃរយៈពេលដប់បួនឆ្នាំ?
O lady how do you wish this righteous and illustrious Rama to dwell in the forest for fourteen years?
FAQs
The verse invokes dharma as moral fitness: it is wrong to impose severe suffering on a righteous person without just cause.
Kaikeyī has demanded Rāma’s banishment for fourteen years; Daśaratha protests, highlighting Rāma’s righteousness and fame.
Rāma’s dharmic character (dharmātman) and honorable reputation (yaśas) are foregrounded as reasons such treatment is unjust.