Ramayana — Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 14, Shloka 23
सत्यपाशः
Kaikeyi’s Demand and the Noose of the King’s Promise
स नुन्न इव तीक्ष्णेन प्रतोदेन हयोत्तमः।राजा प्रचोदितोऽभीक्ष्णं कैकेयीमिदमब्रवीत्।।।।
sa nunna iva tīkṣṇena pratodena hayottamaḥ |
rājā pracodito ’bhīkṣṇaṃ kaikeyīm idam abravīt ||
Bị nàng thúc ép liên hồi, nhà vua—như tuấn mã bị roi nhọn thúc vào—liền nói với Kaikeyī những lời này.
The king who was very much incited by her words, like a horse of the best breed whipped by the lash, replied to Kaikeyi:
FAQs
It illustrates how coercion distorts moral agency: dharma requires free, discerning choice, but Daśaratha is depicted as driven under relentless pressure.
The narrator compares Daśaratha’s condition to a goaded horse as he prepares to respond to Kaikeyī’s harsh insistence.
The implied virtue is inner steadiness; the verse shows its absence under emotional and verbal compulsion.