Valmiki Ramayana 2.115.20: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 115, Shloka 20

पादुकाभिषेकः · The Consecration of Rama’s Sandals and Bharata’s Trusteeship at Nandigrama

Spoken by BharataPlaces named: AyodhyāIntention to return sandals, kingdom, and Ayodhyā to Rama

Devanagari script

राघवाय च सन्यासं दत्त्वेमे वरपादुके ।

राज्यं चेदमयोध्यां च धूतपापो भवामि च ॥२०॥

Recitation with translationValmiki Ramayana 2.115.20

Transliteration

rāghavāya ca sannyāsaṃ dattveme varapāduke |

rājyaṃ cedam ayodhyāṃ ca dhūtapāpo bhavāmi ca ||20||

Translation

रघव को यह चरण पादुका वापस दे दूँगा। राज्य और अयोध्या भी दे दूँगा। तब मेरा पाप धुल जाएगा।

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Word by Word

• rāghavāya: to Rāghava (Rama)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rāghava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Dative (चतुर्थी) Singular
• Role: Sampradāna (सम्प्रदान)

• ca: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction/particle (समुच्चयबोधक)
• Role: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)

• saṃnyāsam: the trust/charge (deposit)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃnyāsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative (द्वितीया) Singular
• Role: Karma (कर्म)

• dattvā: having given
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dā (धातु) (कृदन्त: क्त्वा)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वान्त) “having given”
• Role: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)

• ime: these
• Type: Adjective
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Demonstrative pronoun used adjectivally; Feminine, Nominative (प्रथमा) Dual (द्विवचन)
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)

• vara-pāduke: the excellent/sacred sandals
• Type: Noun
• Root: vara (प्रातिपदिक) + pādukā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Karmadhāraya (कर्मधारय) compound; Feminine, Nominative Dual
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Compound: Karmadharaya

• rājyam: the kingdom
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative Singular
• Role: Karma (कर्म)

• ca: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction
• Role: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)

• idam: this
• Type: Adjective
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Demonstrative pronoun used adjectivally; Feminine, Accusative (द्वितीया) Singular (agreeing with ayodhyām)
• Role: Karma (कर्म)

• ayodhyām: Ayodhyā
• Type: Noun
• Root: ayodhyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Accusative Singular
• Role: Karma (कर्म)

• ca: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction
• Role: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)

• dhūta-pāpaḥ: cleansed of sin
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dhūta (कृदन्त, √dhū धातु, क्त) + pāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa; Masculine, Nominative Singular; adjective to implied aham
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Compound: Tatpurusha

• bhavāmi: I become / I shall be
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhū (धातु)
• Form: Laṭ (लट्) Present; 1st person Singular; Parasmaipada
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)

• ca: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Concluding particle
• Role: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)

Sandhi Notes

• dattvā ime = dattvā + ime
• cedamayodhyām = ca + idam + ayodhyām (sandhi/orthography)
• dhūtapāpo = dhūta-pāpaḥ (visarga lost before voiced consonant in recitation)

Context

Restoring the sacred sandals, the kingdom and this city of Ayodhya held as a trust by me, I shall be cleansed of the sin.

The teaching

Purity is regained by restoring rightful ownership and refusing to benefit from injustice, even indirectly.

Duties in tension

• Political necessity of governance
• Moral duty to return what is entrusted to the rightful king
• Personal desire for absolution vs public duty

Ethical theme

Prāyaścitta / rājadharma

How it resolves

Restitution as expiation (prāyaścitta by action)

Devotion and practice

Encourages offering (arpana) and surrender: returning all ‘mine’ to the rightful Lord; supports bhakti through humility and moral repair.

Deity praised

Rama (implicitly as dharma-king)

Mood and themes

Rasa

Shanta (peace), with Karuna (compassion)

Mood

Purificatory, restitutive, humble

Themes

• Dharma
• Satya
• Accountability
• Rajadharma
• Maryada
• Itihasa
• Ethics

Symbolism

Relationships

Cross references

Meter and recitation

Characters & Entities

• Bharata
• Rama (Rāghava)
• pādukā (sandals)
• Ayodhyā
• kingdom

FAQs

What is the core ethical principle (Dharma) in this verse?

Moral purification through rightful restitution: Bharata sees innocence not in claiming power but in returning it intact to its rightful holder.

What is the narrative situation?

Bharata declares that only after handing back the sandals, the kingdom, and Ayodhyā to Rama will he feel absolved of any taint connected with the succession crisis.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Conscientiousness: he is sensitive to moral blame and seeks cleansing through correct action, not through excuses.