Shloka 2.1.18
गुणप्रशंसा–युवराजनिर्णयः (Praise of Rama’s Virtues and the Decision on the Heir-Apparent)
अरोगस्तरुणो वाग्मी वपुष्मान्देशकालवित्।लोके पुरुषसारज्ञ स्साधुरेको विनिर्मितः।।।।
arogas taruṇo vāgmī vapuṣmān deśa-kāla-vit | loke puruṣa-sāra-jñaḥ sādhur eko vinirmitaḥ ||
He was free from illness, youthful, eloquent, and fair of form; he knew what was fitting to place and time. In the world he seemed uniquely fashioned—able to discern the worth of men, and by nature noble and saintly.
He was young, eloquent, healthy and free from disease. He was conscious of (right) time and place (for his pursuits). He was capable of ascertaining the potentiality ofmen. He was born a sage in this world.
Dharma is expressed as propriety and discernment: knowing the right action for the right time and place (deśa-kāla), and judging people by their true worth rather than appearances.
Early in Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa 1, the poem offers a compact portrait of Rāma’s exemplary qualities while the broader episode sets the stage for events in Ayodhyā and Bhārata’s absence.
Practical wisdom joined to moral goodness—eloquence, self-possession, and the ability to recognize merit in others.