Valmiki Ramayana 2.38.7: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 38, Shloka 7
अयोध्याकाण्डे अष्टत्रिंशः सर्गः · Sita in Bark Garments; Public Outcry and Dasaratha’s Lament
अजीवनार्हेण मया नृशंसा कृता प्रतिज्ञा नियमेन तावत् ।
तवया हि बाल्यात् प्रतिपन्नमेतत् तन्मां दहेद्वेणुमिवात्मपुष्पम् ॥७॥
ajīvanārheṇa mayā nṛśaṃsākṛtā pratijñā niyamena tāvat |
tvayā hi bālyāt pratipannam etat tan māṃ dahed veṇum ivātmapuṣpam ||7||
Przez ten okrutny ślub, związany przysięgą, uczyniłem siebie niegodnym życia. Podjęty przez ciebie w dziecięcym uporze, ślub ten pali mnie teraz jak bambus strawiony własnym kwieciem.
By giving this cruel promise through importunity, I have rendered myself unfit to live. This promise was made as a child's play and it (now) destroys me like a bamboo destroyed by its own flowers.
FAQs
Dharma highlights the danger of vows made without wisdom: truth-binding promises must be guided by discernment (viveka), or they become instruments of harm.
Daśaratha laments that the boon-promise extracted by Kaikeyī now destroys him inwardly, even though he remains bound to keep it.
A painful commitment to satya (truth-keeping) is implied, alongside Daśaratha’s recognition of his own failure of judgment.
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