Shloka 2.42.14
द्विचत्वारिंशः सर्गः — दशरथस्य शोक-विलापः तथा कौशल्यागृह-प्रवेशः (Dasaratha’s Lament and Return to Kausalya’s Apartments)
वाहननां च मुख्यानां वहतां तं ममात्मजम्।पदानि पथि दृश्यन्ते स महात्मा न दृश्यते।।।।
vāhanānāṃ ca mukhyānāṃ vahatāṃ taṃ mamātmajam | padāni pathi dṛśyante sa mahātmā na dṛśyate ||
On the road I can see the hoof-marks of the finest steeds that carried my son—but that great-souled one himself is not to be seen.
I can see the marks of the hooves of the splendid horses carrying my son on the highway but not that magnanimous Rama.
The verse highlights the painful separation that can accompany adherence to vows and righteousness; Dharma may leave behind only ‘traces’ (signs) while the beloved person is absent.
Daśaratha stares at the road: the horses’ hoofprints remain, but Rāma has already gone out of sight.
Rāma’s ‘mahātmatā’ is affirmed even in absence—his moral stature is central to how others perceive him.