Shloka 2.111.28
अयोध्याकाण्डे एकादशोत्तरशततमः सर्गः (Sarga 111: Counsel on Gurus, Parental Debt, and Bharata’s Protest)
विक्रीतमाहितं क्रीतं यत्पित्रा जीवता मम।न तल्लोपयितुं शक्यं मया वा भरतेन वा।।।।
vikrītam āhitaṃ krītaṃ yat pitrā jīvatā mama |na tal lopayituṃ śakyaṃ mayā vā bharatena vā ||
What my father, while still alive, has sold, pledged, or purchased—neither I nor Bharata can undo or annul that.
Neither Bharata nor I can in any way annul anything which was sold, pledged or bought by my father during his lifetime.
Commitment to binding acts and promises: dharma treats the father’s settled actions as morally and socially irreversible, preserving trust in royal word.
Rama argues that Daśaratha’s prior commitments cannot be overturned by successors, even if emotionally painful.
Rama’s steadfastness—he prioritizes institutional and moral continuity over personal interest.