Ramayana — Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 24, Shloka 27
कौशल्यारामसंवादः
Kausalya–Rama Dialogue on Exile-Dharma
शुश्रूषामेव कुर्वीत भर्तुः प्रियहिते रता।एष धर्मः पुरा दृष्टो लोके वेदे श्रुतः स्मृतः।।2.24.27।।
śuśrūṣām eva kurvīta bhartuḥ priyahite ratā |
eṣa dharmaḥ purā dṛṣṭo loke vede śrutaḥ smṛtaḥ || 2.24.27 ||
Let her render service alone, devoted to what is pleasing and beneficial to her husband. This is dharma—seen in the world from ancient times, heard of in the Veda, and affirmed in the Smṛtis.
For my sake, O devi! worship the fire-god with offerings of oblations and flowers, and brahmins who are true to religious vows.
FAQs
Dharma is framed as socially and scripturally validated duty: steadfast, benevolent service within one’s role, aligned with what supports the household’s moral order.
As Rāma prepares to depart for exile, he instructs his mother on proper conduct and religious-ethical stability during his absence.
Rāma’s maryādā (normative righteousness): he anchors advice in tradition (loka), revelation (Veda), and remembered law (Smṛti).