Shloka 2.88.23
रामशय्यादर्शनम् — Bharata Beholds Rama’s Forest Bed
न च प्रार्थयते कच्चिन्मनसापि वसुन्धराम्।वनेऽपि वसतस्तस्य बाहुवीर्याभिरक्षिताम्।।।।
na ca prārthayate kaścin manasāpi vasundharām |
vane ’pi vasatas tasya bāhuvīryābhirakṣitām ||
No one would covet this earth—guarded by the might of his arms—even in thought, though he dwells in the forest.
No one, even in thought, would ever desire this kingdom, protected by the strength of his arms even while residing in the forest.
Legitimate authority grounded in virtue: even absent, a righteous person’s moral power deters wrongful ambition.
Rāma is exiled, yet his reputation and strength still protect the kingdom from internal covetousness.
Rāma’s protective strength and moral sovereignty—his authority persists through dharmic stature.