Valmiki Ramayana 2.12.39: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 12, Shloka 39
द्वादशः सर्गः · Kaikeyi’s Boons and Dasaratha’s Moral Collapse
Ayodhya Kanda 12
यदि दत्त्वा वरौ राजन्पुनः प्रत्यनुतप्यसे ।
धार्मिकत्वं कथं वीर पृथिव्यां कथयिष्यसि ॥३९॥
yadi dattvā varau rājan punaḥ pratyanutapyase |
dhārmikatvaṃ kathaṃ vīra pṛthivyāṃ kathayiṣyasi ||39||
यदि दत्त्वा वरौ राजन् पुनः प्रत्यनुतप्यसे, धार्मिकत्वं कथं वीर पृथिव्यां कथयिष्यसि॥
O valiant king, if you repent like this after having given two boons, how will you talk about your righteousness on this earth?
FAQs
A king’s dharma is inseparable from satya (truthfulness) and fidelity to promises; repentance after granting boons undermines moral authority.
Kaikeyī presses Daśaratha to uphold the boons he once promised, challenging his wavering and public claim to righteousness.
The expected royal virtue is steadfastness in truth and vow-keeping (satya-vrata), even when painful.
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