Canto 2 -
Ayodhyā-kāṇḍa
Chapter 19: Rāma Promises to Leave for the Forest
Text 2.19.3
इदं तु ज्ञातुमिच्छामि किमर्थं मां महीपतिः।
नाभिनन्दति दुर्धर्षो यथापुरमरिन्दमः॥
idaṁ tu jñātum icchāmi kim-arthaṁ māṁ mahī-patiḥ
na abhinandati durdharṣaḥ yathā-puram arindamaḥ
idam = the following; tu = but; jñātum = to know; icchāmi = I want; kim-artham = why; mām = Me; mahī-patiḥ = the king; na = not; abhinandati = does greet; durdharṣaḥ = the unassailable; yathā-puram = like he used to before; arindamaḥ = destroyer of his enemies.
But I want to know the following. Why does the unassailable destroyer of his enemies, the king, not greet Me like he used to before?
Even though Kaikeyī had mentioned in 2.18.39 that Daśaratha did not greet Rāma as he was overcome by pity, Śrī Rāma wanted to know why Daśaratha didn’t greet Him, having known His nature.