Shloka 2.82.6
भरतस्य धर्मप्रतिज्ञा तथा रामनिवर्तनयात्रा (Bharata’s Vow of Dharma and the Expedition to Recall Rama)
रामस्तथा सत्यधृतिस्सतां धर्ममनुस्मरन्।नाजहात्पितुरादेशं शशी ज्योत्स्नामिवोदितः।।।।
rāmas tathā satyadhṛtiḥ satāṃ dharmam anusmaran |
nājahāt pitur ādeśaṃ śaśī jyotsnām ivoditaḥ ||
“So too Rāma, steadfast in truth and mindful of the dharma of the virtuous, did not abandon his father’s command—just as the risen moon does not forsake its moonlight.”
Abiding in truth, remembering the righteous ways of virtuous men just as the rising Moon does not leave its beams, Rama too did not move away from his father's command.
The verse teaches fidelity to righteous commitments: Rama’s dharma is to uphold his father’s word, aligning satya (truth) with disciplined action.
Vasiṣṭha explains why Rama accepted exile: he would not deviate from Daśaratha’s command and the ethical tradition of the virtuous.
Rama’s satyadhṛti—truth-steadfastness—portrayed as inseparable from his identity, like moonlight to the moon.