Dasharatha’s second summons is full of dread. He lists his omens, his age, the fickleness of minds, and then speaks the sentence that commentators have argued over for centuries: the time is right “while Bharata is away from the city” (verse 25). He immediately praises Bharata’s goodness, but the very fact that he hurries suggests a fear he does not name, perhaps of Kaikeyi’s old claims, perhaps simply of change. The poem lets the anxiety show through his words without explaining it.

Rama’s response is the opposite of anxiety. He tells his mother simply, and his first thought is to share the kingdom with Lakshmana: “I desire my life and my kingdom for your sake” (verse 44). That generosity will be tested within a day, when the kingdom is taken and Lakshmana insists on sharing the exile instead.