द्वादशः सर्गः — Kaikeyi’s Boons and Dasaratha’s Moral Collapse
Ayodhya Kanda 12
विनाशकामामहिताममित्रामावासयं मृत्युमिवात्मनस्त्वाम्।चिरं बताङ्केन धृतासि सर्पी महाविषा तेन हतोऽस्मि मोहात्।।।।
vināśakāmām ahitām amitrām āvāsayaṃ mṛtyum ivātmanaḥ tvām |
ciraṃ batāṅkena dhṛtāsi sarpī mahāviṣā tena hato ’smi mohāt ||
你渴求我毁灭,祸害深重如同仇敌;我却收容你,仿佛把死亡本身迎入家中。唉,我久将一条剧毒的雌蛇抱在膝上;因这迷妄,我终于自取灭亡。
With Rama and Lakshmana withdrawn from me, my kinsmen killed, let Bharata along with you rule the city and the kingdom causing delight to my enemies.
It warns against misplaced trust and the ethical catastrophe of betrayal within protected relationships (śaraṇāgata-saṃrakṣaṇa versus treachery).
Daśaratha condemns Kaikeyī’s demand as lethal betrayal, likening her to death and a venomous serpent he mistakenly nurtured.
Daśaratha’s earlier protective, shelter-giving nature is implied—contrasted with Kaikeyī’s perceived treachery.