Shloka 2.108.7
जाबाल्युपदेशः — Jabali’s Pragmatic Counsel to Rama
पित्र्यं राज्यं परित्यज्य स नार्हसि नरोत्तम।आस्थातुं कापथं दुःखं विषमं बहुकण्टकम्।।।।
pitryaṁ rājyaṁ parityajya sa nārhasi narottama |
āsthātuṁ kāpathaṁ duḥkhaṁ viṣamaṁ bahukaṇṭakam ||
O best of men, you should not abandon this ancestral kingdom and take to a wrong path—painful, perilous, and full of thorns (dangers).
O most virtuous of men, you ought not to abandon this patrimonial kingdom, adopt a course, which is painful, difficult and full of thorns (dangers). This (course) is unwise and unworthy of you.
The verse urges Rama not to abandon the rightful, ancestral kingship and not to choose an improper course that leads to suffering and danger—framing the decision as a matter of righteous duty (dharma) rather than mere personal preference.
Calling the alternative a “thorn-filled path” warns that deviating from rightful duty and truthful order brings hardship and moral peril; Satya is implied as alignment with what is proper and just, while the ‘wrong path’ leads to distress and obstacles.