Shloka 60
द्वादशः सर्गः — Kaikeyi’s Boons and Dasaratha’s Moral Collapse
Ayodhya Kanda 12
नृशंसे पापसङ्कल्पे क्षुद्रे दुष्कृतकारिणि।।।।किन्नु दुखमलीकं वा मयि रामे च पश्यसि।
nṛśaṃse pāpasaṅkalpe kṣudre duṣkṛtakāriṇi |
kiṃ nu duḥkham alīkaṃ vā mayi rāme ca paśyasi ||
ఓ నృశంసే, పాపసంకల్పినీ, క్షుద్రే, దుష్కృతకారిణీ—నాలోను రామునిలోను నీవు ఏ దోషమో ఏ అపరాధమో చూస్తున్నావు?
Regaining his consciousness after a long time, the king in deep grief and with eyes as though burning in anger looked at Kaikeyi and said:
FAQs
Dharma requires that blame and punishment be grounded in real fault; Daśaratha challenges the absence of any just cause for harming Rāma.
Overwhelmed and angered, Daśaratha directly confronts Kaikeyī, demanding the rationale for her harsh demands.
Defense of the innocent: Daśaratha asserts Rāma’s blamelessness, though his speech also shows the human frailty of anger.