किं नु मे यदि वा स्वप्नश्चित्तमोहोऽपि वा मम।
अनुभूतोपसर्गो वा मनसो वाप्युपद्रवः।
इति सञ्चिन्त्य तद्राजा नाभ्यगच्छत्तदा सुखम्॥
kiṁ nu me yadi vā svapnaś citta-moho ’pi vā mama
anubhūtopasargo vā manaso vāpy upadravaḥ
iti sañcintya tad rājā nābhyagacchat tadā sukham
kim nu = what is this; me yadi vā = am I; svapnaḥ = dreaming; citta-mohaḥ = is this a bewilderment of my mind; api vā = or; mama = my; anubhūta-upasargaḥ = an experience of events from past lives; vā = or; manasaḥ = in my mind; vā api = or; upadravaḥ = a disturbance; iti = thus; sañcintya = thinking; tat1 rājā = the king; na = not; abhyagacchat = did experience; tadā sukham = any happiness.
“What is this? Am I dreaming? Is this a bewilderment of my mind, or an experience of events from my past lives or a disturbance in my mind?” Thinking thus, the king did not experience any happiness.
1 Technical note: tat sukham.
The author now describes Daśaratha’s anxiety. “What is this?” expresses the king’s general anxiety. He thought, “Since it is impossible for Kaikeyī of good character to obstruct Rāma’s coronation which would bring about my distress, this cannot be factually true. May be it is a dream. But because I am not asleep, [it cannot be a dream, and] so it must be a bewilderment of my mind, that is, a mistake. But since there is no cause for such a mistake, it might be an experience of events from past lives, that is, [an absorbing, vivid] remembrance. But since I would not have been in situations like this even in my past lives, it might be a disturbance in my mind, that is, a mental affliction caused by some sickness, that is, madness.”
The last line in this verse reiterates how the king anguished senselessly.