Canto 2 -
Ayodhyā-kāṇḍa
Chapter 21: Rāma Consoles Kausalyā and Lakṣmaṇa
Text 2.21.32
ऋषिणा च पितुर्वाक्यं कुर्वता व्रतचारिणा।
गौर्हता जानताधर्मं कण्डुनापि विपश्चिता॥
ṛṣiṇā ca pitur vākyaṁ kurvatā vratacāriṇā
gaur hatā jānatādharmaṁ kaṇḍunāpi vipaścitā
ṛṣiṇā ca = Ṛṣi; pituḥ = his father’s; vākyam = instruction; kurvatā = [just] to carry out; vratacāriṇā = devoted to his vows; gauḥ = a cow; hatā = killed; jānatā = knowing that; adharmam = it was adharma; kaṇḍunā = Kaṇḍu; api = despite; vipaścitā = the learned.
The learned Kaṇḍu Ṛṣi devoted to his vows killed a cow, despite knowing that it was adharma, [just] to carry out his father’s instruction.1
GLOSS. He considered his father’s instruction dharma.1