Ramayana — Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 58, Shloka 4
अष्टपञ्चाशः सर्गः (Sarga 58)
Daśaratha Questions Sumantra; Messages from the Forest Threshold
राजा तु रजसा सूतं ध्वस्ताङ्गं समुपस्थितम्।अश्रुपूर्णमुखं दीनमुवाच परमार्तवत्।।।।
rājā tu rajasā sūtaṃ dhvastāṅgaṃ samupasthitam |
aśrupūrṇamukhaṃ dīnam uvāca paramārtavat ||
Thấy người đánh xe đứng gần—thân phủ bụi đường, mặt đẫm lệ, lòng tan nát—nhà vua bèn nói với chàng trong nỗi thống khổ tột cùng.
'I do not regard the great king as my father. Rama alone is my brother, protector, friend and father.
FAQs
The verse frames royal responsibility through emotional truth: a king must confront the consequences of decisions affecting dharma and family, not hide behind authority.
Sumantra has returned after accompanying Rama, and Dasharatha—shattered by separation—addresses him in grief.
Dasharatha’s human vulnerability and honesty of emotion, revealing the moral weight borne by a ruler.