Shloka 2.20.49

अयोध्याकाण्डे विंशः सर्गः — Rama Enters Kauśalyā’s Antaḥpura; Ritual Preparations and the Shock of Exile

Devanagari script

स्थिरं तु हृदयं मन्ये ममेदं यन्न दीर्यते।प्रावृषीव महानद्या स्पृष्टं कूलं नवाम्भसा।।।।

Transliteration

sthiraṃ tu hṛdayaṃ manye mamedaṃ yan na dīryate | prāvṛṣi iva mahānadyā spṛṣṭaṃ kūlaṃ navāmbhasā ||

Translation

I think my heart must be hard indeed, since it does not break—like the bank of a great river in the rainy season, struck by fresh floodwaters yet not crumbling.

Context

I think my heart must be very firm (hard) like the bark of a great river which, touched by (a flood of) fresh water in the rainy season does not disintegrate.

Characters & Entities

• Rāma

FAQs

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

Dharma includes steadfastness under pressure; the verse portrays endurance as a moral capacity, even when one feels it as numbness.

What is the narrative situation?

In overwhelming grief, Kausalyā marvels that her heart has not shattered, using a vivid riverbank metaphor.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Fortitude—she continues to stand despite repeated emotional ‘floods’ of suffering.