Valmiki Ramayana 2.53.25: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 53, Shloka 25
पञ्चाशत्तमः सर्गः (Sarga 53): Rāma’s Lament, Vigil for Sītā, and Lakṣmaṇa’s Consolation
Spoken by Rama to LakshmanaSetting: AyodhyaPlaces named: Pṛthivī (the earth)
एको ह्यहमयोध्यां च पृथिवीं चापि लक्ष्मण ।
तरेयमिषुभिः क्रुद्धो ननु वीर्यमकारणम् ॥२५॥
eko hy aham ayodhyāṃ ca pṛthivīṃ cāpi lakṣmaṇa |
tareyam iṣubhiḥ kruddho nanu vīryam akāraṇam ||25||
O Lakṣmaṇa, wäre ich im Zorn, könnte ich ganz allein Ayodhyā—ja die ganze Erde—mit meinen Pfeilen bezwingen. Doch seine Kraft ohne gerechten Grund zu zeigen, ist nicht recht.
Sandhi Notes
- एको ह्यहम् = एकः + हि + अहम्। अहमयोध्याम् = अहम् + अयोध्याम्। चापि = च + अपि। तरेयमिषुभिः = तरेयम् + इषुभिः। वीर्यमकारणम् = वीर्यम् + अकारणम्।
Once enraged, O Lakshmana I can overpower Ayodhya, even the whole world all by myself with my arrows. But exhibition of prowess without any reason is not desirable.
The teaching
Power is not proof of right; righteousness is the measure. Anger-backed conquest without just cause is adharma.
Duties in tension
- Kṣatriya capacity to seize power and punish injustice
- Duty to uphold righteousness and avoid violence without just cause
- Duty to honor father’s word and social order
- Ethical theme
- Just use of force (dharma-yuddha / nīti)
- How it resolves
- Explicit ethical principle: no display of force without cause
For your practice
Model for krodha-nirodha (restraint of anger) and ethical strength; useful for daily reflection on power with responsibility.
Mood and themes
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism), with Shanta (peace)
- Mood
- Power-contained, principled, unyielding
Themes
- Dharma
- Ethics
- Self-restraint
- Kshatriya-dharma
- Satya
True strength is mastery over anger and ego; restraint (dama) is higher than outward conquest.
Self-control as real victory (indriya-jaya), echoing the ideal of conquering the inner world rather than the outer.
- Rama and Lakshmana
- Elder brother teaching restraint to warrior-brother (firm-calm)
- Rama and Ayodhya
- Rightful heir asserting capacity yet refusing coercion (restrained-authoritative)
- Rama and Bhudevi
- Universal sovereignty potential (cakravartin-like) (detached)
- Rama and Enemies
- Warrior capable of conquest by arrows (controlled-fury (hypothetical))
Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.18-2.19 (Rama’s restraint and commitment to truth); Bhagavad Gītā 2.47-2.50 (acting with right cause and restraint; thematic); Rāmacaritamānasa Ayodhyākāṇḍa (Rama’s refusal to seize the throne by force; thematic parallel)
Dharmaśāstra/Arthaśāstra notions: force must be grounded in nyāya (just cause)
Ayodhyākāṇḍa: Lakshmana’s repeated proposals of force countered by Rama’s dharmic restraint
Anuṣṭup (śloka)
Commanding yet reflective
Steady madhyama with emphatic niṣāda on kruddho/akāraṇam
FAQs
True strength is governed by dharma: power should not be used merely to prove capability; it must have a righteous cause and proportional purpose.
Rāma, in exile, speaks to Lakṣmaṇa about his capacity for force, while restraining himself from acting out of anger or pride.
Self-restraint (dama) and principled conduct—Rāma’s refusal to misuse power even when he possesses it.
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