Ramayana — Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 108, Shloka 2
जाबाल्युपदेशः
Jabali’s Pragmatic Counsel to Rama
साधु राघव माऽभूत्ते बुध्दिरेवं निरर्थिका।प्राकृतस्य नरस्येव ह्यार्यबुद्धेर्मनस्विनः।।।।
sādhu rāghava mā bhūt te buddhir evaṁ nirarthikā |
prākṛtasya narasyeva hy āryabuddher manasvinaḥ ||
O Rāghava, let no such pointless thought arise in you—one so high-minded and noble in judgment should not think like an ordinary man.
If something eaten by one in this world can enter the body of another, then a shraddha can be performed for a person who has set out on a distant journey. Will that offering turn into food for him on his way?
FAQs
Dharma here is the call to uphold noble discernment and not fall into shallow, self-centered reasoning; a righteous person must think in a way worthy of their moral stature.
In the closing exchange of Sarga 108, Bharata addresses Rāma, urging him not to adopt a misguided line of thought and to act in a manner befitting his nobility.
Ārya-buddhi (noble judgment) and steadiness of mind—thinking responsibly rather than impulsively or cynically.