Valmiki Ramayana 2.112.27-28: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 112, Shlokas 27-28
पादुकाप्रदानम्
The Gift of the Sandals and Delegated Kingship
Spoken by Rama to BharataSetting: Nandigrama vicinity / Bharata’s meeting place with Rama (Chitrakuta region context)Places named: Chitrakuta, NandigramaBharata’s return from forest meeting; transition toward regency at Nandigrama
मातरं रक्ष कैकेयीं मा रोषं कुरु तां प्रति ॥२७॥
मया च सीतया चैव शप्तोऽसि रघुसत्तम ।
इत्युक्त्वाऽश्रुपरीताक्षो भ्रातरं विससर्ज ह ॥२८॥
mātaraṃ rakṣa kaikeyīṃ mā roṣaṃ kuru tāṃ prati ||27||
mayā ca sītayā caiva śapto 'si raghusattama |
ity uktvā 'śruparītākṣo bhrātaraṃ visasarja ha ||28||
माँ कैकेयी की रक्षा करना। उसपर गुस्सा मत करना। मैं और सीता, हम दोनों तुम्हे कसम दे रहे हैं। यह कह के राम की आँखों में आँसू आ गए। फिर उन्होंने अपने भाई से अलविदा ली।
Sandhi Notes
- शप्तोऽसि = शप्तः + असि
- चैव = च + एव
- इत्युक्त्वा = इति + उक्त्वा
- उक्त्वाऽश्रु- = उक्त्वा + अश्रु- (vowel sandhi)
Look after your mother, O chief of the Raghus! Do not be angry with her. Swear in my name and in the name of Sita. So saying, eyes filled with tears, Rama took leave of his brother.
The teaching
Even when wronged, uphold dharma by protecting the vulnerable and restraining anger; family and kingdom are steadied by kṣamā.
Duties in tension
- Righteous anger/justice toward Kaikeyī’s wrongdoing vs duty to protect and honor mother/queen
- Personal grief vs kingly composure and fraternal responsibility
- Ethical theme
- Kṣamā-dharma / mātṛ-dharma / rājadharma
- How it resolves
- Prioritization of filial and rajadharma through forgiveness
For your practice
Practice of krodha-nigraha and compassion; using Rama’s conduct as a daily model for forgiveness and duty.
Mood and themes
- Rasa
- Karuna (compassion), with Shanta (peace)
- Mood
- Tearful, forgiving, solemn
Themes
- Dharma
- Satya
- Kshama (forbearance)
- Maryada
- Itihasa
- Ethics
Kṣamā and tyāga as marks of sattva; relinquishing personal resentment to uphold svadharma.
Echo of self-mastery: the disciplined one restrains anger (krodha) and acts from dharma rather than impulse (cf. Kaṭha/Śvetāśvatara themes of indriya-nigraha).
- Rama and Kaikeyi
- Son-to-stepmother/queen; moral restraint despite grievance (restrained, compassion)
- Rama and Bharata
- Elder brother instructing younger; affectionate farewell (tender, sorrow)
- Sita and Bharata
- Sister-in-law invoking moral bond/oath (solemn, affection)
- Rama and Sita
- Spouses united in vow/ethical stance (steadfast, unity)
Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.112 (Bharata-Rama dialogue on Kaikeyī; sandals episode context); Rāmacaritamānasa Ayodhyākāṇḍa (Bharata’s humility, Rama’s injunctions)
Mahābhārata Śānti/Anuśāsana: kṣamā-dharma and anger-restraint; Dharmaśāstra motifs: honoring mother/queen despite fault
2.111-2.113 (Bharata’s plea, Rama’s counsel, farewell); 2.20-2.23 (Kaikeyī’s boons as cause of exile)
Anuṣṭup (śloka)
Grieving
Mandra-niṣāda to madhyama, with gentle kampita on karuṇa phrases
FAQs
It teaches restraint and filial duty: even when wronged, one should protect elders and avoid anger, while remaining faithful to truth-bound vows.
As Rama prepares to continue exile, he instructs Bharata to protect Kaikeyī and not retaliate against her.
Rama’s kṣamā (forgiveness/forbearance) and unwavering commitment to satya expressed through the sanctity of an oath.
Ask anything about this verse
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
A free sign-in with Google or Apple keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Valmiki Ramayana in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with word-by-word meanings, Sanskrit recitation where available, and more.
