Ramayana — Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 11, Shloka 19
कैकेयीवरप्रार्थना
Kaikeyi Demands the Two Boons
तत्र चापि मया देव यत्त्वं समभिरक्षितः।जाग्रत्या यतमानायास्ततो मे प्राददा वरौ।।।।
tatra cāpi mayā deva yat tvaṃ samabhirakṣitaḥ | jāgratyā yatamānāyās tato me prādadā varau ||
Doon din, O Hari, ako ang nag-ingat sa iyo; sapagkat ako’y nagbantay at nagsikap na iligtas ka, ipinagkaloob mo sa akin ang dalawang biyaya.
O king, I rescued you there. Since I was alert to protect you, you granted me twoboons.
FAQs
Dharma here is framed as reciprocal obligation: protection and service rendered create a rightful claim, and a king’s integrity is measured by honoring what he has granted.
Kaikeyī explicitly states that she once saved Daśaratha and that he rewarded her with two promised boons.
Vigilance and devoted effort (jāgratā, yatna) are highlighted as Kaikeyī’s claimed merit; in response, Daśaratha’s virtue of honoring grants is implied.