Shloka 2.108.15
जाबाल्युपदेशः — Jabali’s Pragmatic Counsel to Rama
यदि भुक्तमिहान्येन देहमन्यस्य गच्छति।दद्यात्प्रवसत श्श्राद्धं न तत्पथ्यशनं भवेत्।।।।
sādhu rāghava mā bhūt te buddhir evaṁ nirarthikā |
prākṛtasya narasyeva hy āryabuddher manasvinaḥ ||
O Rāghava, let no such futile thought arise in you; one high-minded and noble in discernment should not think like an ordinary man.
If something eaten by one in this world can enter the body of another, then a shraddha can be performed for a person who has set out on a distant journey. Will that offering turn into food for him on his way?
Dharma here is the call to uphold noble discernment and not fall into shallow, self-centered reasoning; a righteous person must think in a way worthy of their moral stature.
In the closing exchange of Sarga 108, Bharata addresses Rāma, urging him not to adopt a misguided line of thought and to act in a manner befitting his nobility.
Ārya-buddhi (noble judgment) and steadiness of mind—thinking responsibly rather than impulsively or cynically.