Ramayana — Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 20, Shloka 5
अयोध्याकाण्डे विंशः सर्गः
Rama Enters Kauśalyā’s Antaḥpura; Ritual Preparations and the Shock of Exile
अबुद्धिर्बत नो राजा जीवलोकं चरत्ययम्।यो गतिं सर्वभूतानां परित्यजति राघवम्।।.।।
abuddhir bata no rājā jīvalokaṃ caraty ayam | yo gatiṃ sarvabhūtānāṃ parityajati rāghavam ||
अबुद्धिर्बत नो राजा जीवलोकं चरत्ययम्। यो गतिं सर्वभूतानां परित्यजति राघवम्॥
Alas! our king who has lost his brain, who has ordered the banishment of Rama, the refuge of all living beings, (on the other hand) is moving about in the world.
FAQs
The verse critiques failure of discernment in rulership; Dharma for a king includes protecting the righteous and not abandoning the very support of moral order.
Kausalyā condemns Daśaratha’s decision to send Rāma away, seeing it as a collapse of judgment that endangers the kingdom’s moral center.
Moral clarity—Kausalyā names the injustice plainly, prioritizing righteousness over royal authority.