Srimad Bhagavatam — Navama Skandha, Shloka 20
Lord Rāmacandra’s Charity, Sītā’s Departure, and the Lord’s Return to Vaikuṇṭha
नेदं यशो रघुपते: सुरयाच्ञयात्त- लीलातनोरधिकसाम्यविमुक्तधाम्न: । रक्षोवधो जलधिबन्धनमस्त्रपूगै: किं तस्य शत्रुहनने कपय: सहाया: ॥ २० ॥
nedaṁ yaśo raghupateḥ sura-yācñayātta- līlā-tanor adhika-sāmya-vimukta-dhāmnaḥ rakṣo-vadho jaladhi-bandhanam astra-pūgaiḥ kiṁ tasya śatru-hanane kapayaḥ sahāyāḥ
Matar a Rāvaṇa con una lluvia de flechas a ruego de los semidioses y tender un puente sobre el océano no constituye la gloria verdadera de Raghu-pati. Su cuerpo espiritual está siempre en līlā, y no tiene igual ni superior; por ello, ¿qué necesidad tenía de la ayuda de los monos para vencer al enemigo?
As stated in the Vedas ( Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 6.8):
FAQs
This verse says Rama’s true fame is not merely His heroic feats like killing rākṣasas or building the ocean bridge, but His transcendental nature and His accepting a līlā-form by the demigods’ request—showing divine play beyond material comparison.
Śukadeva highlights Rama’s omnipotence: the Lord does not require assistance. The monkey army belongs to His līlā—His chosen way of enacting pastimes and honoring His devotees—rather than a limitation in power.
Don’t reduce spirituality to external achievements alone. See God’s presence in devotion, purpose, and divine arrangement—and value cooperation and service as part of līlā, not merely as proof of capability.