Ramayana — Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 45, Shloka 16
अयोध्यावासिजनानुरागः
The People and Brahmins Follow Rama toward Exile
धर्मतः स विशुद्धात्मा वीरः शुभदृढव्रतः।उपवाह्यस्तु वो भर्ता नापवाह्यः पुराद्वनम्।।।।
dharmataḥ sa viśuddhātmā vīraḥ śubhadṛḍhavrataḥ |
upavāhyas tu vo bhartā nāpavāhyaḥ purād vanam ||
He is righteous in dharma, pure in heart, heroic, and steadfast in his auspicious vow. Your lord should be borne back, not carried onward from the city into the forest.
Having seen the aged brahmins muttering pitiful lamentations in this manner, Rama immediately alighted from the chariot.
FAQs
The verse frames Rama as dharmic and therefore worthy of protection and rightful kingship; it implies that sending such a person to hardship is a moral disorder.
Brahmins plead with those managing Rama’s movement to reverse course and return him from the road to exile.
Rama’s purity, bravery, and steadfastness in vow—qualities that make him the moral center of the community.