Srimad Bhagavatam — Navama Skandha, Shloka 20
Lord Rāmacandra’s Charity, Sītā’s Departure, and the Lord’s Return to Vaikuṇṭha
नेदं यशो रघुपते: सुरयाच्ञयात्त- लीलातनोरधिकसाम्यविमुक्तधाम्न: । रक्षोवधो जलधिबन्धनमस्त्रपूगै: किं तस्य शत्रुहनने कपय: सहाया: ॥ २० ॥
nedaṁ yaśo raghupateḥ sura-yācñayātta- līlā-tanor adhika-sāmya-vimukta-dhāmnaḥ rakṣo-vadho jaladhi-bandhanam astra-pūgaiḥ kiṁ tasya śatru-hanane kapayaḥ sahāyāḥ
Lord Rāmacandra’s reputation for having killed Rāvaṇa with showers of arrows at the request of the demigods and for having built a bridge over the ocean does not constitute the factual glory of the Supreme Personality of Godhead Lord Rāmacandra, whose spiritual body is always engaged in various pastimes. Lord Rāmacandra has no equal or superior, and therefore He had no need to take help from the monkeys to gain victory over Rāvaṇa.
As stated in the Vedas ( Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 6.8):
FAQs
This verse says Rama’s true fame is not merely His heroic feats like killing rākṣasas or building the ocean bridge, but His transcendental nature and His accepting a līlā-form by the demigods’ request—showing divine play beyond material comparison.
Śukadeva highlights Rama’s omnipotence: the Lord does not require assistance. The monkey army belongs to His līlā—His chosen way of enacting pastimes and honoring His devotees—rather than a limitation in power.
Don’t reduce spirituality to external achievements alone. See God’s presence in devotion, purpose, and divine arrangement—and value cooperation and service as part of līlā, not merely as proof of capability.