Valmiki Ramayana 2.116.8: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 116, Shloka 8
तपस्विनाम् औत्सुक्यं राक्षसत्रासश्च
Ascetics’ Anxiety and the Fear of Rakshasas
अथर्षिर्जरया वृद्धस्तपसा च जरां गतः ।
वेपमान इवोवाच रामं भूतदयापरम् ॥८॥
atha ṛṣir jarayā vṛddhas tapasā ca jarāṃ gataḥ |
vepamāna ivovāca rāmaṃ bhūtadayāparam ||8||
Alors un ascète—vieilli par les années et usé par l’austérité—parla, comme tremblant, à Rāma, plein de compassion pour tous les êtres.
Hearing those words, an ascetic old in age and austerities, as though trembling said to Rama who is compassionate to all beings:
FAQs
Dharma is framed through compassion and respectful speech: the elder ascetic addresses Rāma recognizing his universal kindness, setting a truthful and gentle tone for counsel.
After Rāma’s questions, an elderly sage prepares to respond, physically frail yet authoritative through tapas.
Rāma’s bhūta-dayā (compassion to all beings), acknowledged as a defining trait.
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