Ramayana — Bala Kanda, Sarga 16, Shloka 27
पायसप्रादुर्भावः
The Manifestation of the Divine Payasa and the Avatara Resolution
कौसल्यायै नरपति: पायसार्धं ददौ तदा।अर्धादर्धं ददौ चापि सुमित्रायै नराधिप:।।।।कैकेय्यै चावशिष्टार्धं ददौ पुत्रार्थकारणात्।प्रददौ चावशिष्टार्धं पायसस्यामृतोपमम्।।।।अनुचिन्त्य सुमित्रायै पुनरेव महीपति:।एवं तासां ददौ राजा भार्याणां पायसं पृथक् ।।।।
kausalyāyai narapatiḥ pāyasārdhaṃ dadau tadā | ardhād ardhaṃ dadau cāpi sumitrāyai narādhipaḥ ||
kaikeyyai cāvaśiṣṭārdhaṃ dadau putrārtha-kāraṇāt | pradadau cāvaśiṣṭārdhaṃ pāyasasyāmṛtopamam ||
anucintya sumitrāyai punar eva mahīpatiḥ | evaṃ tāsāṃ dadau rājā bhāryāṇāṃ pāyasaṃ pṛthak ||
Ketika itu raja memberikan separuh pāyasa kepada Kausalyā; daripada separuh yang tinggal, baginda, penguasa manusia, memberikan separuhnya pula kepada Sumitrā. Demi memperoleh putera, baginda memberikan separuh daripada baki itu kepada Kaikeyī; kemudian setelah berfikir lagi, tuan bumi menyerahkan bahagian terakhir yang masih tinggal—pāyasa laksana amṛta—kepada Sumitrā. Demikianlah raja membahagikan pāyasa itu kepada para permaisurinya, masing-masing berasingan.
Then Dasaratha gave half the portion of payasam to Kausalya, half of the remaining half to Sumitra, half of the remaining portion (one-eighth of original) to Kaikeyi for the sake of a son. On further thinking, he gave the remaining one-eighth portion to Sumitra. In this manner the king divided and distributed the payasam among his wives separately.
FAQs
Dharma in household governance: the king allocates a sacred resource with deliberation (anucintya) and fairness within the structure of his family responsibilities.
Daśaratha apportions the divine pāyasa among Kausalyā, Sumitrā, and Kaikeyī, adjusting the final portion after reflection.
Prudence and responsible decision-making—he considers outcomes (progeny) and acts thoughtfully rather than impulsively.