Ramayana — Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 112, Shloka 22
पादुकाप्रदानम्
The Gift of the Sandals and Delegated Kingship
सोऽधिरुह्य नरव्याघ्रः पादुके ह्यवरुह्य च।प्रायच्छत्सुमहातेजा भरताय महात्मने।।2.112.22।।
so ’dhiruhya naravyāghraḥ pāduke hy avaruhya ca |
prāyacchat sumahātejā bharatāya mahātmane || 2.112.22 ||
Rāma, ein Tiger unter den Menschen und von großer Herrlichkeit strahlend, stieg auf die Sandalen und stieg wieder herab; darauf übergab er sie dem großherzigen Bharata.
Rama, the best of men, one with great brilliance, put on and then put off the sandals and presented them to the magnanimous Bharata.
FAQs
Authority is transferred not through ambition but through righteous delegation: Rama enables Bharata to administer the kingdom as a trustee, preserving legitimacy and truth.
Rama consents to Bharata’s request by stepping on the sandals and formally handing them over, creating a symbolic regency.
Rama’s adherence to satya and dharma—he supports Bharata’s dharmic plan without breaking his own exile vow.