Ramayana — Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 12, Shloka 12
द्वादशः सर्गः — Kaikeyi’s Boons and Dasaratha’s Moral Collapse
Ayodhya Kanda 12
परा भवति मे प्रीतिर्दृष्ट्वा तनयमग्रजम्।।।।अपश्यतस्तु मे रामं नष्टा भवति चेतना।
parā bhavati me prītir dṛṣṭvā tanayam agrajam | apaśyatas tu me rāmaṃ naṣṭā bhavati cetanā ||
“当我见到长子，我的喜悦便至极；可一旦不见罗摩，我连神识都要消散。”
This world can exist without the Sun or crops (can be grown) without water but without Rama, life would not exist in my body.
FAQs
The verse frames love and duty as deeply intertwined: for Daśaratha, Rāma embodies dharmic continuity (eldest son and rightful heir). The ethical tension is that personal attachment intensifies the pain of upholding vows and truth.
Daśaratha, trying to soften Kaikeyī’s resolve, confesses how essential Rāma is to his emotional and even physical well-being.
Daśaratha’s sincerity and paternal devotion—he speaks plainly about his dependence on seeing Rāma.