Shloka 2.111.5
अयोध्याकाण्डे एकादशोत्तरशततमः सर्गः (Sarga 111: Counsel on Gurus, Parental Debt, and Bharata’s Protest)
इमा हि ते परिषद श्श्रेणयश्च द्विजास्तथा।एषु तात चरन्धर्मं नातिवर्ते: सतां गतिम्।।।।
imā hi te pariṣadaḥ śreṇayaś ca dvijāḥ tathā | eṣu tāta caran dharmaṃ nātivarteḥ satāṃ gatim ||
These are your own—this assembly, the guilds, and the twice-born as well. My child, by practicing your dharma toward them, you will not stray from the path of the virtuous.
All these learned men, guilds of merchants and the twice-born (brahmins) of this assembly are your men. By fulfilling your duty towards them, you will never swervefrom the path of the virtuous.
Rajadharma as social responsibility: righteous rule involves honoring obligations to councils, civic bodies, and learned communities, maintaining order through duty rather than whim.
Vasiṣṭha points to the social stakeholders of the kingdom and frames Rāma’s decision-making as accountable to them within dharma.
Responsibility in leadership: the ideal ruler stays aligned with the ‘path of the good’ by serving institutions and people ethically.