Valmiki Ramayana 2.109.8: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 109, Shloka 8
सत्यधर्मप्रतिपादनम्
Rama’s Defense of Truth and Dharma in Reply to Jabali
Spoken by Rama to Jabali
कस्य दास्याम्यहं वृत्तं केन वा स्वर्गमाप्नुयाम् ।
आनया वर्तमानो हि वृत्त्या हीनप्रतिज्ञया ॥८॥
kasya dāsyāmy ahaṃ vṛttaṃ kena vā svargam āpnuyām |
ānayā vartamāno hi vṛttyā hīnapratijñayā ||8||
अगर मैं अपना व्रत तोड़ दूँ और अपना काम छोड़ दूँ, तो मैं किसको बताऊँ कि क्या सही है? और फिर स्वर्ग कैसे पाऊँ? मैं तो व्रत लिए हुए हूँ, और अगर प्रॉमिस तोड़ दिया तो कोई रास्ता नहीं बचता।
Sandhi Notes
- ऋषयः + च + एव → ऋषयश्चैव
- देवाः + च → देवाश्च
- लोके + अस्मिन् → लोकेऽस्मिन् (अवग्रहः)
How can I advise others for a virtuous conduct or how can I attain heaven if I break the vow which I follow at present.
The teaching
A broken vow destroys one’s capacity to recommend dharma and undermines the path to svarga; integrity is the vehicle of both teaching and transcendence.
Duties in tension
- Keeping one’s vow (pratijñā) vs any impulse to abandon it
- Personal comfort vs integrity of chosen vṛtti
- Teaching/leading others vs losing moral authority through lapse
- Ethical theme
- Vow-ethics / satya-pratijñā
- How it resolves
- Reaffirmation of vow as the basis of ethical authority and spiritual reward
For your practice
Vrata-sādhana: keep small daily vows (truthfulness, restraint, discipline) to build inner authority; reflect nightly on pratijñā-पालन.
Mood and themes
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace), with Bhayanaka (fear)
- Mood
- Vow-bound, conscience-stricken, aspirational
Themes
- Dharma
- Satya
- Vows
- Ethics
- Exemplary Conduct
Adhikāra (fitness) arises from purity and vow-keeping; breaking one’s pratijñā erodes inner authority and spiritual ascent.
The path to higher worlds/realization is tied to satya and tapas; vow-breaking undermines tapas-like integrity.
Bhagavadgītā 3.21 (leader’s example) as parallel to ‘to whom could I commend conduct?’; Mahābhārata: satya and pratijñā as supreme dharma (Bhīṣma/Yudhiṣṭhira vow-ethics motifs)
Vedic/Smṛti linkage of svarga with righteous conduct and truthfulness
Ayodhyākāṇḍa: Rāma’s unwavering adherence to father’s word and his own vows as central narrative engine
Anuṣṭup
Solemn
Mandra (low register)
FAQs
Satya and dharma require fidelity to one’s vow; breaking it destroys moral authority and undermines spiritual aims.
Rāma defends his commitment to exile as vow-bound dharma: if he violates it, he cannot guide others or claim higher religious merit.
Vow-steadfastness (pratijñā-pālana)—holding to a promise despite hardship.
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