Valmiki Ramayana 2.12.91 — Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 12, Shloka 91
द्वादशः सर्गः — Kaikeyi’s Boons and Dasaratha’s Moral Collapse
Ayodhya Kanda 12
कौसल्यां च सुमित्रां च मां च पुत्रैस्त्रिभिस्सह।।।।प्रक्षिप्य नरके सा त्वं कैकेयि सुखिता भव।
kausalyāṃ ca sumitrāṃ ca māṃ ca putrais tribhis saha | prakṣipya narake sā tvaṃ kaikeyi sukhitā bhava ||
కౌశల్యను, సుమిత్రను, నన్ను, మూడు కుమారులను నరకంలో పడవేసి, ఓ కైకేయీ, నీవు ఉన్నట్లే సుఖంగా ఉండు.
O Kaikeyi consign Kausalya, Sumitra, me and my three sons into hell and be happy.
FAQs
The verse condemns actions that destroy an entire family for personal gain; dharma demands compassion and restraint, especially within the royal household.
Daśaratha, overwhelmed, bitterly tells Kaikeyī to rejoice after ruining him, the queens, and the princes.
By contrast (through denunciation), the virtue implied is non-cruelty (ahiṃsā) and responsibility; Kaikeyī’s conduct is framed as its opposite.
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