Ramayana — Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 75, Shloka 27
अयोध्याकाण्डे पञ्चसप्ततितमः सर्गः
Sarga 75: Bharata and Kausalya—Reproach, Oaths, and Reconciliation
हस्त्यश्वरथसम्बाधे युद्धे शस्त्रसमाकुले।मा स्म कार्षीत्सतां धर्मं यस्यार्योऽनुमते गतः।।।।
hasty-aśva-ratha-sambādhe yuddhe śastra-samākule |
mā sma kārṣīt satāṁ dharmaṁ yasyāryo 'numate gataḥ ||
May the one by whose counsel my noble brother was exiled fail in the dharma upheld by the good—like a warrior who enters a battle thronged with elephants, horses, chariots, and weapons, yet does not perform his proper duty.
May the one who counselled the exile of my esteemed brother acquire the demerit in the same way as a person, who having gone to the battleground abundantly provided with elephants, horses, chariots and weapons fails to discharge the duty (of a fighter)!
FAQs
Dharma is duty-in-action: entering a role or situation (like battle) obligates one to fulfill its righteous responsibilities.
Bharata extends his moral analogies, comparing the wrongdoing behind the exile to cowardly dereliction of duty.
Respect for disciplined duty (especially kṣatriya conduct) and disdain for hypocrisy—showing up without acting rightly.