With a heart heavy with sorrow, King Daśaratha turned to Kaikeyī and pleaded, “What wrong has Rāma ever done to you, or what sin have I committed, O wicked one? Rāghava has always treated you with the same devotion and respect as he gives his own mother. Why, then, are you determined to cause such harm? I welcomed you into this house myself, and yet now you seek my very ruin. Unaware of the venom you carry, O princess, you are like a serpent filled with deadly poison. When the entire world sings of Rāma’s virtues, how can I possibly abandon my beloved son for any fault? I could sooner forsake Kausalyā and Sumitrā, or give up all my wealth. If I do not see Rāma, I will lose my very consciousness; can the world exist without the sun, or crops grow without water? Without Rāma, my life cannot remain in this body. Therefore, abandon at once this sinful resolve. I am prepared to bow my head at your feet—have mercy on me. Why have you conceived such a dreadful thought, O sinful one? If you wish to test my affection or aversion for Bharata, let it be as you once declared regarding Rāghava. He is my eldest son, illustrious and foremost in righteousness. What you, who speak so kindly, said before was surely only out of service. Yet now, hearing this, I am tormented by grief and you cause me immense pain. You have become possessed in this empty house, now as if fallen under someone else’s sway. O queen, a great calamity has befallen the house of the Ikṣvākus, for your mind, once guided by virtue, has gone astray. Never before, O large-eyed one, did you do anything improper or displeasing to me; thus I cannot believe this of you. Surely, Rāghava is equal to Bharata, the great-souled one, in your eyes; for as a child, you often told me so. How, O timid one, can you wish exile to the forest for that righteous and renowned one for fourteen years? How do you desire such a harsh dwelling for him, who is so delicate and whose mind is set on righteousness? O auspicious-eyed one, why do you wish for the banishment of Rāma, who is so charming and devoted in his service to you? Indeed, Rāma always serves you more than Bharata does; I have not seen any special regard from Bharata towards you in this. Who else, apart from that best of men, would show greater service, respect, and obedience in word and deed? Among the many thousands of women and dependents, no reproach or slander is ever heard against Rāghava. Rāma, the tiger among men with a pure heart, wins over all beings with gentle words and gains the affection of all people. Rāghava conquers the worlds by truth, the twice-born by charity, his elders by service, and his enemies in battle by the bow. Truthfulness, generosity, austerity, renunciation, friendship, purity, straightforwardness, learning, and service to elders—these virtues are steadfast in Rāghava. In him, endowed with uprightness and equal to the gods, O lady, how can you wish for evil against Rāma, whose brilliance is like that of great sages? I do not recall ever speaking a harsh word to anyone, being one who speaks kindly to all; so how can I now, for your sake, speak to Rāma a word that pleases you but pains him? In whom else are found patience, austerity, renunciation, truth, righteousness, gratitude, and even nonviolence toward all beings? Apart from him, where could I possibly turn? You ought to show compassion to me, Kaikeyī, who am old, spent, devoted to austerity, wretched, and lamenting in my distress. Whatever can be obtained on earth, up to the ocean’s edge, I will give it all to you; but do not let anger seize you. I fold my hands to you, Kaikeyī, and even touch your feet; be the refuge of Rāma—let unrighteousness not touch me here. Thus, overwhelmed by sorrow, lamenting, unconscious, and reeling, the great king was completely overcome by grief. As he kept pleading again and again for deliverance from this ocean of sorrow, Kaikeyī replied to him with words even harsher than before. “If, having granted me the two boons, O king, you now regret it, how will you speak of your righteousness on earth, O hero? When many royal sages assemble with you, O knower of dharma, and speak of righteousness, what will you say in reply? Will you say, ‘I live by her favor, and she protected me, yet I deceived her—Kaikeyī’? You will bring disgrace upon the kings, O lord of men, if, after granting a boon, you now speak otherwise. Shaibya gave his own flesh to a bird in the tale of the hawk and the dove; Alarka, giving up his eyes, attained the highest state. The ocean, having made a vow, does not cross its boundary; do not break your promise, remembering what was done before. But you, abandoning righteousness and installing Rāma as king, wish always to enjoy yourself with Kausalyā, O wicked-minded one. Let it be unrighteousness or righteousness, truth or falsehood—whatever you have promised to me, there can be no violation of it. For I will drink poison right now, here before you, and die before your eyes if Rāma is anointed king. If I have to see Rāma’s mother for even a single day, accepting my salutation, surely death would be better for me.