Ramayana — Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 108, Shloka 10
जाबाल्युपदेशः
Jabali’s Pragmatic Counsel to Rama
न ते कश्चिद्धशरथ स्त्वं च तस्य न कश्चन।अन्यो राजा त्वमन्य स्तस्मात्कुरु यदुच्यते।।।।
na te kaścid daśarathaḥ tvaṃ ca tasya na kaścana |
anyo rājā tvam anyaḥ tasmāt kuru yad ucyate || 2.108.10 ||
Daśaratha n’est rien pour toi, et toi non plus tu n’es rien pour lui ; le roi est l’un, toi tu es un autre ; fais donc ce que je dis.
Dasaratha was nobody to you and you are nobody to him. That king is one person and you are another. Therefore, do what I tell you. (It does not matter what you are to him and what he means to you).
FAQs
The verse presents an anti-dharmic stance: it attempts to sever filial and moral obligation by treating relationships and vows as irrelevant—precisely the kind of reasoning Rāma is expected to reject.
Jābāli tries to persuade Rāma to abandon the exile by arguing that Daśaratha’s claims and ties should not bind Rāma’s actions.
By contrast (through provocation), Rāma’s virtue of loyalty to father and commitment to satya is brought into sharper relief.