Ramayana — Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 14, Shloka 56
सत्यपाशः
Kaikeyi’s Demand and the Noose of the King’s Promise
क्षिप्रमाज्ञाप्यतां राजन्राघवस्याभिषेचनम्।यथा ह्यपालाः पशवो यथा सेना ह्यनायका।।।।यथा चन्द्रं विना रात्रिर्यथा गावो विना वृषम्।एवं हि भविता राष्ट्रं यत्र राजा न दृश्यते।।।।
kṣipram ājñāpyatāṃ rājan rāghavasyābhiṣecanam | yathā hy apālāḥ paśavo yathā senā hy anāyakā ||
O King, let Rāghava’s consecration be commanded without delay—for cattle without a keeper and an army without a leader are left in disorder.
O king Rama's installation may be promptly ordered. As herds without herdsman, army without commander, night without the Moon, and cows without a bull, so is a kingdom without a king.
FAQs
Rulership is protective dharma: a kingdom requires a visible, guiding authority; delay in establishing leadership harms social order.
Sumantra presses Daśaratha to issue the order for Rāma’s coronation immediately, using analogies of leaderless groups.
Practical wisdom in counsel: Sumantra ties ritual action (abhiṣeka) to governance and public welfare.