Canto 2 -
Ayodhyā-kāṇḍa
Chapter 58: Sumantra Conveys the Message of Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa
Text 2.58.12
आसितं शयितं भुक्तं सूत रामस्य कीर्तय।
जीविष्याम्यहमेतेन ययातिरिव साधुषु॥
āsitaṁ śayitaṁ bhuktaṁ sūta rāmasya kīrtaya
jīviṣyāmy aham etena yayātir iva sādhuṣu
āsitam = situation; śayitam = sleeping; bhuktam = and eating; sūta = Sūta; rāmasya = about Rāma’s; kīrtaya = tell me; jīviṣyāmi = will live; aham = I; etena = because of this discussion; yayātiḥ = Yayāti; iva = like; sādhuṣu = amidst saints.
Sūta, tell me about Rāma’s situation, sleeping and eating. I will live because of this discussion, like Yayāti amidst saints.
Yayāti prayed to Indra that he might fall from Svarga [to an area on earth] inhabited by saintly persons. By attaining their association, he became free from distress. Similarly, King Daśaratha also wanted to become free from distress by hearing about Rāma’s activities.
GLOSS. The second line indicates that Daśaratha wanted to live amidst saints while hearing discussions about Rāma despite being wrinkled, with a harsh tone of voice and so on, like Yayāti who lived in old age by the curse of Śukra.