Shloka 2.112.4

पादुकाप्रदानम् (The Gift of the Sandals and Delegated Kingship)

Devanagari script

ततस्त्वृषिगणाः क्षिप्रं दशग्रीववधैषिणः।

भरतं राजशार्दूलमित्यूचु: स‌ङ्गता वचः।।2.112.4।।

Transliteration

sadā anṛṇam imaṃ rāmaṃ vayam icchāmahe pituḥ | ānṛṇatvāc ca kaikeyyāḥ svargaṃ daśaratho gataḥ || 2.112.6 ||

Translation

We ever wish that this Rāma remain free of debt toward his father; and it was by being released from his obligation to Kaikeyī that Daśaratha went to heaven.

Context

Thereafter hosts of rishis desiring the speedy destruction of ten-headed Ravana said these words to Bharata, the best of kings.

Characters & Entities

• Rāma
• Daśaratha
• Kaikeyī
• svarga

FAQs

What is the core ethical principle (Dharma) in this verse?

Dharma is framed as honoring obligations (ṛṇa): moral life requires discharging rightful debts—especially to parents and through truth-bound promises.

What is the narrative situation?

Sages justify why Rāma must adhere to the exile decision: it preserves the father’s pledged word and keeps Rāma ethically ‘unindebted.’

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Rāma’s steadfast truthfulness and dutifulness—his willingness to bear hardship so that dharma and ancestral honor remain intact.