तस्याभिषेकसम्भारान्दृष्ट्वा भार्याऽथ कैकयी ।।1.1.21।। पूर्वं दत्तवरा देवी वरमेनमयाचत । विवासनं च रामस्य भरतस्याभिषेचनम् ।।1.1.22।।
Meaning
But queen Kaikeyi, seeing the preparations for that coronation underway, called in two boons Dasaratha had granted her long before: Rama's exile, and the crowning of her own son Bharata in his place.
Word-by-word (pada-artha)
| Word | Devanagari | Meaning | Grammatical role |
|---|---|---|---|
| yauva rājyena | यौव राज्येन | with young crown-prince-hood | Compound phrase |
| samyoktum | सम्योक्तुम् | to endow (him) with | Epithet / descriptive term |
| aicchat | ऐच्छत् | intended to | Verb |
| prītyā | प्रीत्या | affectionately | Epithet / descriptive term |
| mahī patiḥ | मही पतिः | the Lord of the land (King Dasharatha) | Compound phrase |
| tasya abhiṣeka sambhārān dṛṣṭvā | तस्य अभिषेक सम्भारान् दृष्ट्वा | seeing the arrangements for his (Rama's) anointment | Compound phrase |
| bhāryā atha kaikeyī | भार्या अथ कैकेयी | then his wife Kaikeyi | Compound phrase |
| pūrvam datta varā devī | पूर्वम् दत्त वरा देवी | the queen who had earlier been given a boon | Compound phrase |
| varam enam ayācata | वरम् एनम् अयाचत | solicited this boon from him | Compound phrase |
| vivāsanam ca rāmasya | विवासनम् च रामस्य | and Rama's exile | Compound phrase |
| bharatasya abhiṣecanam | भरतस्य अभिषेचनम् | and Bharata's anointment | Compound phrase |
Scholar commentary
Shloka 1.1.21-22
Bibek Debroy (footnotes)
Explanatory footnotes from Debroy's Critical Edition translation (Penguin), content-matched to this vulgate sarga — added 2026-08-08, distinct from the bibliography-only `debroy` slug above
Debroy's footnote spells out the family arithmetic behind Kaikeyi's demand: Dasharatha had three wives -- Kausalya, Kaikeyi, and Sumitra -- and had granted Kaikeyi two boons earlier, held in reserve for whenever she chose to redeem them. Bharata is Kaikeyi's son; Lakshmana and Shatrughna are Sumitra's. Naming the mothers this explicitly underlines that the succession crisis about to unfold is a contest between co-wives' sons, not a simple father-son dispute.
1 of 16 traditions have commentary on this shloka. Traditions without a verse-specific commentary here are omitted rather than filled in.
Shloka 1.1.22
Bibek Debroy (footnotes)
Explanatory footnotes from Debroy's Critical Edition translation (Penguin), content-matched to this vulgate sarga — added 2026-08-08, distinct from the bibliography-only `debroy` slug above
Debroy's footnote clarifies that this is the moment those two long-held boons are actually redeemed -- Rama's exile and Bharata's coronation, called in together rather than separately, which is why Dasharatha cannot grant one without the other following.
1 of 16 traditions have commentary on this shloka. Traditions without a verse-specific commentary here are omitted rather than filled in.
Reference: 1.1.21-22 · Bāla Kāṇḍa