Shloka 36
अयोध्याकाण्डे विंशः सर्गः
Rama Enters Kauśalyā’s Antaḥpura; Ritual Preparations and the Shock of Exile
यदि पुत्र न जायेथा मम शोकाय राघव।न स्म दुःखमतो भूयः पश्येयमहमप्रजाः।।।।
yadi putra na jāyethā mama śokāya rāghava | na sma duḥkham ato bhūyaḥ paśyeyam aham aprajāḥ ||
హే రాఘవ పుత్రా! నీవు నా శోకానికి కారణమై జన్మించకపోయి ఉంటే, నేను సంతానహీనురాలినైనా దీనికన్నా గొప్ప దుఃఖాన్ని చూడనిదానిని.
O my son, if you were not born to me, I, even as a woman without progeny, would not have experienced grief, more intense than this.
FAQs
The verse highlights the human cost that dharma can entail: Rāma’s adherence to truth and duty precipitates intense maternal suffering, showing that righteousness may demand painful sacrifice.
Kausalyā reacts to the impending exile by expressing that this grief surpasses even the sorrow traditionally associated with childlessness.
Rāma’s implied commitment to satya and duty (even when it causes personal pain to loved ones) frames the background of Kausalyā’s lament.