Shloka 52
द्वादशः सर्गः — Kaikeyi’s Boons and Dasaratha’s Moral Collapse
Ayodhya Kanda 12
प्रैक्षतानिमिषो देवीं प्रियामप्रियवादिनीम्।।।।तां हि वज्रसमां वाचमाकर्ण्य हृदयाप्रियाम्।दुःखशोकमयीं घोरां राजा न सुखितोऽभवत्।।।।
praikṣatānimiṣo devīṃ priyām apriyavādinīm |
tāṃ hi vajrasamāṃ vācam ākarṇya hṛdayāpriyām |
duḥkhaśokamayīṃ ghorāṃ rājā na sukhito 'bhavat ||
Raja memandang sang dewi permaisuri tanpa berkelip—yang dikasihi, namun berkata-kata yang tidak menyenangkan. Mendengar ucapannya yang sekeras halilintar, menyakitkan hati, ngeri dan sarat dukacita serta kesedihan, raja pun tidak lagi berbahagia.
The unhappy king intently fixed his gaze at his beloved queen speaking unpleasant words charged with grief and anguish, unpleasant to the heart like the dreadful thunderbolt.
FAQs
Speech is an ethical act: dharma includes vāṅ-niyama (discipline of speech). Words that are ‘vajra-like’ and heart-wounding create adharma through harm, even before physical actions occur.
Daśaratha, overwhelmed, can only stare at Kaikeyī as her demand lands like a blow; he is robbed of peace by the dreadfulness of her words.
Daśaratha’s tenderness and capacity for attachment (priya-bhāva) is highlighted; the tragedy is that love coexists with the pain caused by unrighteous speech.