Canto 2 -
Ayodhyā-kāṇḍa
Chapter 12: Kaikeyī Reaffirms her Demands
Text 2.12.33
क्षमा यस्मिन्दमस्त्यागः सत्यं धर्मः कृतज्ञता।
अप्यहिंसा च भूतानां तमृते का गतिर्मम॥
kṣamā yasmin damas tyāgaḥ satyaṁ dharmaḥ kṛtajñatā
apy ahiṁsā ca bhūtānāṁ tam ṛte kā gatir mama
kṣamā = forgiveness; yasmin = in whom exist; damaḥ = sense control; tyāgaḥ = renunciation; satyam = truthfulness; dharmaḥ = piety; kṛtajñatā api = gratitude; ahiṁsā = lack of violence; ca = and; bhūtānām = towards the creatures; tam = than Rāma; ṛte = other; kā = who; gatiḥ = shelter; mama = is my.
Who other than Rāma, in whom exist forgiveness, sense control, renunciation, truthfulness, piety, gratitude and lack of violence towards the creatures, is my shelter?
“Who other than Rāma is my shelter” means “Who other than Rāma can be my protector and caretaker?” Daśaratha implies the following question, “How can I abandon a protector and caretaker like Him?”