द्वादशः सर्गः · Kaikeyi’s Boons and Dasaratha’s Moral Collapse
Ayodhya Kanda 12
तां हि मे सुकृतां बुद्धिं सुहृद्भिस्सह निश्चिताम् ॥६३॥
कथं द्रक्ष्याम्यपावृत्तां परैरिव हतां चमूम् ।
किं मां वक्ष्यन्ति राजानो नानादिग्भ्य स्समागताः ॥६४॥
बालो बताऽयमैक्ष्वाकश्चिरं राज्यमकारयत् ।
tāṃ hi me sukṛtāṃ buddhiṃ suhṛdbhiḥ saha niścitām ||63||
kathaṃ drakṣyāmy apāvṛttāṃ parair iva hatāṃ camūm |
kiṃ māṃ vakṣyanti rājāno nānādigbhyaḥ samāgatāḥ ||64||
bālo batāyam aikṣvākaś ciraṃ rājyam akārayat |
Kerana keputusan itu telah kutetapkan dengan pertimbangan baik, setelah bermusyawarah bersama sahabat-sahabat. Bagaimana aku sanggup melihatnya dipalingkan, bagaikan bala tentera yang dipaksa berundur setelah ditewaskan musuh? Apakah kata para raja yang berhimpun dari pelbagai penjuru tentang diriku? ‘Aduhai, Ikṣvāku ini sungguh bodoh—bagaimana dia memerintah begitu lama?’
I have taken this decision in consultation with friends to install Rama. How can I see such a decision being reversed like a retreating army defeated by enemies? Kings from different quarters have already arrived and they will say, How did this ignorant descendant of the Ikshakus (Dasaratha) rule this kingdom for such a long time?
Rājadharma includes consistency, credibility, and accountability: a king’s decisions must be stable and righteous, not overturned by private intrigue, because the realm’s moral order depends on public trust.
Daśaratha laments that his publicly prepared decision to install Rāma—made with advisors and in view of visiting kings—would be disgracefully reversed.
Responsibility to institutions and reputation: Daśaratha recognizes that a ruler’s integrity is judged by steadiness and justice in governance.
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
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