Canto 3 -
Araṇya-kāṇḍa
Chapter 48: Sītā-devī Condemns Rāvaṇa
Text 3.48.15
स्थापयित्वा प्रियं पुत्रं राज्ञा दशरथेन यः।
मन्दवीर्यः सुतो ज्येष्ठस्ततः प्रस्थापितो ह्ययम्॥
sthāpayitvā priyaṁ putraṁ rājñā daśarathena yaḥ
manda-vīryaḥ suto jyeṣṭhas tataḥ prasthāpito hy ayam
sthāpayitvā = installed on the throne; priyam = his beloved; putram = son; rājñā = King; daśarathena = Daśaratha; yaḥ = who; manda-vīryaḥ = was deficient in heroism; sutaḥ = son; jyeṣṭhaḥ = his eldest; tataḥ = and then; prasthāpitaḥ hi ayam = exiled.
King Daśaratha installed his beloved son on the throne and then exiled his eldest son who was deficient in heroism.
1 Rāvaṇa is being deceptive here. He is actually frightened of Rāma—that is why he chose to kidnap Sītā without facing Śrī Rāmacandra in a duel. So who is actually deficient in heroism?
“His beloved son” refers to Bharata.
Rāvaṇa considers Śrī Rāma to be deficient in heroism since He was exiled [to the forest] despite being the eldest son [of King Daśaratha].1