Valmiki Ramayana 2.1.5: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 1, Shloka 5
गुणप्रशंसा-युवराजनिर्णयः
Praise of Rama’s Virtues and the Decision on the Heir-Apparent
सर्व एव तु तस्येष्टा श्चत्वारः पुरुषर्षभाः ।
स्वशरीराद्विनिर्वृत्ताश्चत्वार इव बाहवः ॥५॥
sarva eva tu tasyeṣṭāś catvāraḥ puruṣarṣabhāḥ |
svaśarīrād vinirvṛttāś catvāra iva bāhavaḥ ||5||
राजा को चारों बेटे एक जैसे प्यारे थे। ऐसा लगता था जैसे उसके अपने शरीर से चार बाहें निकली हैं।
Dasaratha, a bull among men, loved all his four sons equally just as the arms of his own body.
FAQs
Fairness within the family: a father’s dharma includes impartial affection and responsibility toward all children, not favoritism.
The narrator describes Daśaratha’s relationship with his sons, establishing the family harmony that frames later tensions in the story.
Parental equanimity and integrity—love expressed as equal regard, aligned with satya (truthful, consistent conduct).
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