Ramayana — Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 108, Shloka 5
जाबाल्युपदेशः
Jabali’s Pragmatic Counsel to Rama
यथा ग्रामान्तरं गच्छन्नरः कश्चित्क्वचिद्वसेत्।उत्सृज्य च तमावासं प्रतिष्ठेतापरेऽहनि।।।।एवमेव मनुष्याणां पिता माता गृहं वसु।अवासमात्रं काकुत्स्थ सज्जन्ते नात्र सज्जनाः।।।।
yathā grāmāntaraṁ gacchan naraḥ kaścit kvacid vaset |
utsṛjya ca tam āvāsaṁ pratiṣṭhetāpare 'hani ||
evam eva manuṣyāṇāṁ pitā mātā gṛhaṁ vasu |
āvāsamātraṁ kākutstha sajjante nātra sajjanāḥ ||
Wie ein Wanderer, der von Dorf zu Dorf zieht, irgendwo Rast hält und am nächsten Tag diese Herberge verlässt und weitergeht, so sind für die Menschen Vater, Mutter, Haus und Besitz nur vorübergehende Unterkünfte. Die Weisen hängen nicht daran, o Kākutstha.
Honour the decision of the wise that serves as an instance to all and accept the kingdom offered by Bharata with pleasureityārṣē śrīmadrāmāyaṇē vālmīkīya ādikāvyē ayōdhyākāṇḍē aṣṭōttaraśatatamassargaḥ৷৷Thus ends the one hundredeighth sarga in Ayodhyakanda of the holy Ramayana, the first epic composed by sage Valmiki.
FAQs
Dharma is supported by impermanence-awareness: treating possessions and relations as transient prevents greed and attachment from overriding righteous action.
Bharata uses a travel metaphor to argue for detachment, framing worldly bonds as temporary stops rather than ultimate realities.
Viveka (discernment) and vairāgya (dispassion)—the wisdom not to cling.