Valmiki Ramayana 2.106.33: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 106, Shloka 33
भरतवाक्यं · रामस्य पुनरायोध्यागमननिषेधः
Bharata’s Plea and Rama’s Refusal to Return
Setting: Citrakūṭa region (forest meeting place)Places named: Ayodhyā (explicit)Culmination of Bharata’s persuasion; Rama refuses return
तथाहि रामो भरतेन ताम्यता प्रसाद्यमानश्शिरसा महीपतिः ।
नचैव चक्रे गमनाय सत्त्ववान्मतिं पितुस्तद्वचने प्रतिष्ठितः ॥३३॥
tathā hi rāmo bharatena tāmyatā prasādyamānaś śirasā mahīpatiḥ |
na caiva cakre gamanāya sattvavān matiṃ pituḥ tad-vacane pratiṣṭhitaḥ ||33||
भरत बहुत दुखी था। उसने सर झुका के राम से बहुत रिक्वेस्ट की। लेकिन राम, जो कि धरती के राजा थे, वापस नहीं आए। उन्होंने अपने पिता की बात को पकड़ा हुआ था। वो उसपे फिक्स थे।
Sandhi Notes
- prasādyamānaśśirasā→prasādyamānaḥ śirasā
- nacaiva→na ca eva
- sattvavānmatiṃ→sattvavān matim
- pitustadvacane→pituḥ tadvacane
Thus besought and propitiated by Bharata with his head bowed low and distressed, the virtuous lord of the world, Rama, firmly established in the words of his father, resolved not to go back to Ayodhya.
The teaching
Dharma gains authority through fidelity to truth; even rightful ends cannot be pursued by breaking a solemn word.
Duties in tension
- Rama’s obligation to return for rāja-dharma and public welfare
- Rama’s obligation to uphold Daśaratha’s word and personal vow of truth
- Ethical theme
- Satya-vrata / pitṛ-ṛṇa
- How it resolves
- Satya-priority (vow upheld over expediency)
For your practice
Meditation on satya and niyama (truthfulness, steadfastness) as daily discipline; Rama as exemplar of dharma.
Mood and themes
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace), with Karuna (compassion)
- Mood
- Steadfast, austere, unmoved
Themes
- Dharma
- Satya
- Pitr̥-vākya-paripālana (keeping the father’s word)
- Resolve
- Ethics
Rama’s immovability in dharma resembles the sthita-prajña ideal—steady in resolve, not swayed by emotion or social pressure.
Truth (satya) as a supreme value recalls ‘satyam vada’ and the Upaniṣadic elevation of satya as a foundation of order (ṛta).
- Bharata and Rama
- Pleading younger brother vs steadfast elder brother (anguished)
- Rama and Dasharatha
- Son bound to father’s command/word (dutiful)
Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.18-2.20 (Daśaratha’s boons and binding word); Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.109-2.110 (Rama reiterates dharma of truth and exile)
Mahābhārata: vows upheld despite grief (e.g., Bhīṣma’s pratijñā motif)
Ayodhyākāṇḍa: repeated theme of satya-vrata and pitṛ-śāsana
Anuṣṭup (śloka)
Solemn
Steady madhyama with minimal gamaka to mirror firmness
FAQs
Satya as dharma: Rama treats his father’s spoken commitment as binding, showing that moral truthfulness and fidelity to promises outweigh personal or political advantage.
The narration summarizes Rama’s response to Bharata’s intense pleading—Rama refuses to return because of his father’s command/promise.
Rama’s firmness (sthairya) and integrity in upholding a vow connected to paternal authority.
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