Ramayana — Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 61, Shloka 26
कौसल्याविलापः
Kausalya’s Lament and Ethical Analogies on Kingship
द्विजातिचरितो धर्मश्शास्त्रदृष्टस्सनातनः।यदि ते धर्मनिरते त्वया पुत्रे विवासिते।।2.61.26।।
dvijāticarito dharmaḥ śāstradṛṣṭaḥ sanātanaḥ | yadi te dharmanirate tvayā putre vivāsite || 2.61.26 ||
Kung ang walang hanggang dharma—na nakikita sa mga śāstra at isinasagawa ng mga dalawang-ulit-na-isinilang—ay tunay na nasa panig mo, paano mo naipatapon ang iyong anak na nakatuon sa katuwiran?
You have banished your son who is devoted to righteousness. Is it in accordance with the scriptures and the eternal tradition followed by the twice-born?
FAQs
Dharma must align with śāstra and enduring moral tradition; banishing a dharma-devoted son is presented as incompatible with that standard, implying that ‘dharma’ cannot be invoked to justify an act that contradicts its own scriptural-ethical foundations.
Kausalyā challenges Daśaratha’s justification of the exile, questioning whether his decision can truly be called dharmic according to śāstric norms.
Rāma’s steadfastness in dharma (dharmanirata) is foregrounded as the key reason the exile appears ethically indefensible.