Canto 2 -
Ayodhyā-kāṇḍa
Chapter 78: Śatrughna Punishes Mantharā
Text 2.78.4
पूर्वमेव तु निग्राह्यः समवेक्ष्य नयानयौ।
उत्पथं यः समारूढो नार्या राजा वशं गतः॥
pūrvam eva tu nigrāhyaḥ samavekṣya nayānayau
utpathaṁ yaḥ samārūḍho nāryā rājā vaśaṁ gataḥ
pūrvam eva tu = in the first place; nigrāhyaḥ = he should have been restrained; samavekṣya = having properly considered; naya-anayau = the principles of morality and immorality; utpatham yaḥ samārūḍhaḥ = thus he had deviated from the right path; nāryāḥ = of a woman; rājā = the king; vaśam = under the control; gataḥ = had come.
The king had come under the control of a woman. Thus he had deviated from the right path. Having properly considered the principles of morality and immorality, he should have been restrained in the first place.
“In the first place” indicates that on the basis of the principles of morality and immorality, the king should have been restrained even before he deviated from the right path.
NOTE. All of the above indicate that Daśaratha had functioned under the mode of passion which invariably leads to distress:
viṣayendriya-saṁyogād yat tad agre ’mṛtopamam
pariṇāme viṣam iva tat sukhaṁ rājasaṁ smṛtam
“That happiness which is derived from contact of the senses with their objects and which appears like nectar at first but poison at the end is said to be of the nature of passion.” (Bhagavad-gītā 18.38)