Srimad Bhagavatam — Navama Skandha, Shloka 48
Śrī Rāmacandra-avatāra — Vow, Exile, Laṅkā-vijaya, and Rāma-rājya
Concise Bhāgavata Account
जटा निर्मुच्य विधिवत् कुलवृद्धै: समं गुरु: । अभ्यषिञ्चद् यथैवेन्द्रं चतु:सिन्धुजलादिभि: ॥ ४८ ॥
jaṭā nirmucya vidhivat kula-vṛddhaiḥ samaṁ guruḥ abhyaṣiñcad yathaivendraṁ catuḥ-sindhu-jalādibhiḥ
The family priest or spiritual master, Vasiṣṭha, had Lord Rāmacandra cleanly shaved, freeing Him from His matted locks of hair. Then, with the cooperation of the elderly members of the family, he performed the bathing ceremony [abhiṣeka] for Lord Rāmacandra with the water of the four seas and with other substances, just as it was performed for King Indra.
FAQs
It describes that after His matted hair was properly loosened, the elders and the royal preceptor consecrated Lord Rāmacandra with sacred waters from the four oceans and other holy sources, like the enthronement of Indra.
Indra is cited as the standard example of a celestial king being ritually consecrated; the comparison highlights the grandeur and Vedic legitimacy of Lord Rāma’s enthronement.
It emphasizes honoring sacred procedures, respecting elders and teachers, and approaching leadership as a sanctified duty carried out with purity, responsibility, and dharma.