Canto 2 -
Ayodhyā-kāṇḍa
Chapter 53: Rāma Requests Lakṣmaṇa to Return to Ayodhyā
Text 2.53.13
अर्थधर्मौ परित्यज्य यः काममनुवर्तते।
एवमापद्यते क्षिप्रं राजा दशरथो यथा॥
artha-dharmau parityajya yaḥ kāmam anuvartate
evam āpadyate kṣipraṁ rājā daśaratho yathā
artha-dharmau = artha and dharma; parityajya = who abandons; yaḥ = he; kāmam = kāma; anuvartate = and follows; evam āpadyate = falls into a crisis; kṣipram = quickly; rājā = King; daśarathaḥ = Daśaratha; yathā = like.
He who abandons artha and dharma, and follows kāma quickly falls into a crisis like King Daśaratha.
1 This is a great warning to all of us—to never fall into a similar state of extreme misery.
Here Rāma incidentally criticizes the exclusive pursuit of kāma.1
NOTE. Bhagavad-gītā 16.21 notes:
tri-vidhaṁ narakasyedaṁ dvāraṁ nāśanam ātmanaḥ
kāmaḥ krodhas tathā lobhas tasmād etat trayaṁ tyajet
“There are three gates leading to this hell—lust, anger and greed. Every sane man should give these up, for they lead to the degradation of the soul.”