Ramayana — Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 104, Shloka 27
भरतस्य प्रार्थना—रामस्य धर्मोपदेशः
Bharata’s Petition and Rama’s Dharma-Reasoning
यदब्रवीन्मां नरलोकसत्कृतः पिता महात्मा विबुधाधिपोपमः।तदेव मन्ये परमात्मनो हितं न सर्वलोकेश्वर भावमप्ययम्।।।।
yad abravīn māṁ naralokasatkṛtaḥ pitā mahātmā vibudhādhipopamaḥ |
tad eva manye paramātmano hitaṁ na sarvalokeśvara-bhāvam apy ayam ||
Whatever my great-souled father—honored among men and like the lord of the gods—commanded me, I hold that alone to be for my highest good; this ordinance, as the will of the Lord of all worlds, must not be allowed to lapse.
I think what my great father, who is honoured by all men, and an equal to Indra, ordered is for my highest welfare. The will of the overlord of the world should not be done away with.ityārṣē śrīmadrāmāyaṇē vālmīkīya ādikāvyē ayōdhyākāṇḍē caturuttaraśatatamassargaḥ৷৷Thus ends the one hundredfourth sarga in Ayodhyakanda of the holy Ramayana, the first epic composed by sage Valmiki.
FAQs
Dharma is unwavering fidelity to a righteous command; Rama treats his father’s word as sacrosanct and aligned with cosmic moral order.
Rama concludes his reasoning to Bharata: he will not overturn the command that sent him to exile, because it is spiritually and socially binding.
Satya (truthfulness) as lived commitment—Rama upholds the given word as higher than personal sovereignty.