Taking Leave of Dasharatha
(British Library: Mewar Ramayana)
From the Library site: At the palace the king's minister Sumantra brings Rama, Laksmana and Sita to the grieving Dasaratha, who had previously ordered Sumantra to summon his queens and all his women. The king tries to persuade Rama not to go to the forest, even to rise up in rebellion and set him aside, but Rama replies that he must obey Kaikeyi's command to go into exile. Kaikeyi who is seated beside Dasaratha is upbraided by Sumantra, but she refuses to change her mind. Unable to speak through grief, Dasaratha tenderly embraces the three children, taking them on his lap, surrounded by his three chief queens and his other wives.
Detail: Rama, Lakshmana, Sita, and Dasharatha
