Ramayana — Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 100, Shloka 41
शततमः सर्गः — Rāma Questions Bharata on Rājadharma
Governance, Counsel, and Public Welfare
वीरैरध्युषितां पूर्वमस्माकं तात पूर्वकैः।सत्यनामां दृढ द्वारां हस्त्यश्वरथसङ्कुलाम्।।2.100.40।।ब्राह्मणैः क्षत्रियैर्वैश्यै स्स्वकर्मनिरतैस्सदा।जितेन्द्रियैर्महोत्साहैर्वृतामार्यै स्सहस्रशः।।2.100.41।।प्रासादैर्विविधाकारैर्वृतां वैद्यजनाकुलाम्।कच्चित्सुमुदितां स्फीतामयोध्यां परिरक्षसि।।2.100.42।।
kaccic caityaśatair juṣṭaḥ suniviṣṭajanākulaḥ | devāstānaiḥ prapābhiś ca taṭākaiś copaśobhitaḥ ||
prahṛṣṭanaranārīkaḥ samājotsavaśobhitaḥ | sukṛṣṭasīmā paśumān hiṃsābhiḥ parivarjitaḥ ||
adevamātṛko ramyaḥ śvāpadaiḥ parivarjitaḥ | parityakto bhayaiḥ sarvaiḥ khanibhiś copaśobhitaḥ ||
vivarjito naraiḥ pāpair mama pūrvaiḥ surakṣitaḥ | kaccij janapadaḥ sphītaḥ sukhaṃ vasati rāghava ||
O Rāghava (Bharata), is the countryside prosperous and at ease—rich with many sacred shrines, well-settled and full of people, beautified with temples, water-stations, and tanks; bright with festivals and joyful men and women; with well-ploughed boundaries and good cattle, free from violence; delightful and not dependent on rainfall, free from wild beasts; rid of all fears, adorned with mines; kept free of sinful men and well-protected as in my forefathers’ time?
My dear brother I trust you are protecting the (impregnable) city of Ayodhya worthy of its name, formerly defended by our heroic ancestors, with its sturdy gates, its elephants, horses and chariots, its thousands of venerable, selfcontrolled and highly energetic brahmins, kshatriyas and vaisyas engaged in their respective professions, filled with palaces of various kinds, abounding in learned people and a prosperous city where everything is available in abundance.
FAQs
The king’s dharma includes public welfare: safety from fear, freedom from violence, reliable water and resources, and moral cleanliness (keeping out ‘sinful’ disruptors).
Rāma audits Bharata’s governance by asking about the condition of the wider realm—its infrastructure, security, prosperity, and ethical health.
Lokasaṅgraha (holding society together): ensuring festivals, agriculture, security, and moral order so people live happily.