Valmiki Ramayana · Ayodhya Kanda · Sarga 3
स तं सस्मितमाभाष्य पुत्रं पुत्रवतां वरः।।2.3.38।। उवाचेदं वचो राजा देवेन्द्रमिव काश्यपः।
sa taṃ sasmitamābhāṣya putraṃ putravatāṃ varaḥ uvācedaṃ vaco rājā devendramiva kāśyapaḥ|
The best among fathers, he (Dasaratha) said these words to his son with a smile, like Kasyapa addressing Devendra.
— M.N. Dutt (1891)
Commentary
Dasharatha speaks to Rama with a smile, like Kasyapa addressing Indra. The simile connects earthly parenthood to the divine — Kasyapa is the progenitor of the gods, and Indra is his son. Dasharatha's smile is the smile of a father who knows he is handing the universe to its rightful lord.
कश्यपस्मित