Ramayana — Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 37, Shloka 31
अयोध्याकाण्डे सर्गः ३७ — चीरधारणं, सीतासंकल्पः, वसिष्ठोपदेशः
Bark-Robe Episode and Vasistha’s Admonition
यद्यपि त्वं क्षितितलाद्गगनं चोत्पतिष्यसि।पितृर्वंशचरित्रज्ञः सोऽन्यथा न करिष्यति।।2.37.31।।
yadyapi tvaṁ kṣititalād gaganaṁ cotpatiṣyasi | pitṛrvaṁśa-caritrajñaḥ so 'nyathā na kariṣyati || 2.37.31 ||
Even if you could leap from the earth into the sky, Bharata—knower of the conduct and tradition of his father’s line—will not act otherwise.
O Kaikeyi! remove those bark robes and bestow on your daughter-in-law precious ornaments. She was not ordained to wear the bark. Vaisishta, saying so, prevented Sita from wearing that garment.
FAQs
Faith in kuladharma and satya: Bharata’s righteousness is grounded in ancestral standards of conduct, making him unwilling to pursue an unrighteous gain.
An elder warns Kaikeyī that her plan will fail because Bharata will refuse to act against the dynasty’s dharmic tradition.
Bharata’s integrity—loyalty to dharma over personal advantage.