Ramayana — Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 52, Shloka 47
गङ्गातरणम्, सुमन्त्र-प्रतिनिवर्तनम्, जटाधारणम्
Crossing the Gaṅgā; Sumantra’s Return; Adoption of Ascetic Signs
मम तावन्नियोगस्थास्त्वद्बन्धुजनवाहिनः।कथं रथं त्वया हीनं प्रवक्ष्यन्ति हयोत्तमाः।।2.52.47।।
mama tāvan niyoga-sthās tvad-bandhu-jana-vāhinaḥ | kathaṃ rathaṃ tvayā hīnaṃ pravakṣyanti hayottamāḥ ||
These excellent horses—though they stand under my command and were used to carrying you and your companions—how will they draw this chariot now, emptied of you?
How can these excellent horses who used to carry you and your friends till now draw this chariot without you even though they are at my command?
FAQs
Dharma is portrayed as loyalty in service: even animals and attendants are bound by a kind of faithfulness to the rightful master, reflecting the moral order around a dhārmic leader.
Sumantra expresses that even the horses will resist returning without Rāma, showing the depth of separation.
Steadfast devotion and service—Sumantra’s and symbolically even the horses’.