Valmiki Ramayana 2.42.6: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 42, Shloka 6
द्विचत्वारिंशः सर्गः · दशरथस्य शोक-विलापः तथा कौशल्यागृह-प्रवेशः
Dasaratha’s Lament and Return to Kausalya’s Apartments
कैकेयि मा ममाङ्गानि स्प्राक्षीस्त्वं दुष्टचारिणी ।
न हि त्वां द्रष्टुमिच्छामि न भार्या न च बान्धवी ॥६॥
kaikeyi mā mamāṅgāni sprākṣīs tvaṃ duṣṭacāriṇī |
na hi tvāṃ draṣṭum icchāmi na bhāryā na ca bāndhavī ||6||
“കൈകേയീ! ദുഷ്ടാചാരിണീ, എന്റെ ശരീരത്തെ സ്പർശിക്കരുത്. നിന്നെ കാണുവാനും ഞാൻ ആഗ്രഹിക്കുന്നില്ല; നീ എന്റെ ഭാര്യയുമല്ല, ബന്ധുവുമല്ല.”
O Kaikeyi! you are a woman of evil conduct. Do not touch my body. I do not wish to see you. You are not my wife or my relation.
FAQs
The verse frames a moral boundary: actions judged as adharma can sever relational legitimacy. Daśaratha’s rejection expresses that ethical betrayal destroys the sanctity of marital and familial bonds.
In extreme grief and anger, Daśaratha repudiates Kaikeyī, refusing her touch and denying her status as wife or relative.
Moral accountability: Daśaratha asserts an ethical verdict on conduct, though expressed through the rawness of sorrow and outrage.
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