Valmiki Ramayana 2.12.97: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 12, Shloka 97
द्वादशः सर्गः · Kaikeyi’s Boons and Dasaratha’s Moral Collapse
Ayodhya Kanda 12
कथं रथैर्विभुर्यात्वा गजाश्वैश्च मुहुर्मुहुः ॥९७॥
पद्भ्यां रामो महारण्ये वत्सो मे विचरिष्यति ।
kathaṃ rathairvibhuryātvā gajāśvaiśca muhurmuhuḥ ||97||
padbhyāṃ rāmo mahāraṇye vatso me vicariṣyati |
रथैर्गजाश्वैश्च मुहुर्मुहुः विभुं यात्वा, कथं मे वत्सो रामो महारण्ये पद्भ्यां विचरिष्यति?
How will my son, Rama, who used to ride on chariots, elephants and horses roam the wilderness barefoot?
FAQs
Dharma is inseparable from compassion: a righteous order should not impose needless suffering on the innocent, especially the worthy.
Daśaratha imagines the physical hardship awaiting Rāma in exile and grieves over the reversal of his son’s royal life.
Daśaratha’s parental love and protective instinct, which also reflects the king’s duty to safeguard the deserving.
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