Valmiki Ramayana 2.21.59: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 21, Shloka 59
अयोध्याकाण्डे एकविंशः सर्गः · Lakṣmaṇa’s militant counsel and Rāma’s dharma
based persuasion of Kausalyā
Spoken by Rama to LakṣmaṇaSetting: Ayodhya (palace discourse implied)
स वै न शक्नोमि पितुः प्रतिज्ञा मिमामकर्तुं सकलां यथावत् ।
स ह्यावयोस्तात गुरुर्नियोगे देव्याश्च भर्ता स गति स्सधर्मः ॥५९॥
sa vai na śaknomi pituḥ pratijñām imām akartuṁ sakalāṁ yathāvat |
sa hy āvayos tāta guruḥ niyoge devyāś ca bhartā sa gatiḥ sa dharmaḥ ||59||
बेटा, मैं अपने बाप की प्रॉमिस पूरी करूँगा, जो उन्होंने कही थी। वो हमारे गुरु हैं। माँ के लिए वो पति हैं। मैं उनकी बात नहीं ताल सकता।
Sandhi Notes
- Sandhi resolution applied: प्रतिज्ञामिमामकर्तुं → प्रतिज्ञाम् + इमाम् + अकर्तुम्
- स ह्यावयोस्तात → सः + हि + आवयोः + तात
- गुरुर्नियोगे → गुरुः + नियोगे
- देव्याश्च → देव्याः + च
- गति स्सधर्मः → गतिः + सः + धर्मः
It is impossible for me not to execute the promise completely, O my dear, he (Dasaratha) is our preceptor and, therefore, fit to command us. Even for mother Kausalya, he is her husband, her refuge and her dharma.
The teaching
Keeping a righteous promise—especially a father’s pledged word—stands above personal gain; authority in the household is also a dharmic refuge for all.
Duties in tension
- Filial duty to fulfill father’s promise exactly
- Personal welfare and rightful kingship
- Duty to protect mother’s stability and honor household order
- Ethical theme
- Satya-vrata and pitṛ-dharma
- How it resolves
- Satya-based acceptance of exile/command
For your practice
Excellent for satya-sādhana and vrata-bhāva: training the mind to honor commitments and accept hardship for dharma.
Mood and themes
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace), with Karuna (compassion)
- Mood
- Resolute, filial, grave
Themes
- Dharma
- Satya
- Filial obedience
- Marriage duty
- Authority
Dharma as higher order (ṛta-like) that the individual aligns with through satya; personal loss is subordinated to cosmic-moral alignment.
Satya as foundational virtue (satyam vada, dharmam cara) resonates; the ‘guru’ principle within fatherhood echoes the Upaniṣadic reverence for the source of instruction.
- Rama and Dasharatha
- Son fulfilling father’s promise (reverent). Father as guru in niyoga (authoritative)
- Rama and Lakshmana
- Elder brother consoling/explaining to younger (calm)
Mahābhārata: vows upheld at great personal cost (e.g., Bhīṣma’s pratijñā); Rāmacaritamānasa, Ayodhyākāṇḍa: Rāma’s insistence on fulfilling father’s word and honoring satya
Dharmaśāstra: husband as protector/dharma for wife; father as first guru
Ayodhyākāṇḍa: Rāma’s repeated declarations that father’s promise must be kept; themes of satya and pitṛ-ājñā
Anuṣṭup (śloka)
Solemn
Slow, steady; gentle emphasis on 'प्रतिज्ञाम्' and 'धर्मः'
FAQs
Satya (truthfulness) expressed as fidelity to a vow, and dharma expressed as obedience to the father-king who is also a ‘guru’ in rightful command.
Rāma answers Lakṣmaṇa’s agitation by stating he cannot violate Daśaratha’s pledged promise and clarifying Daśaratha’s dharmic authority over the family.
Rāma’s vow-keeping integrity and his principled understanding of relational duties (son to father, subject to king, family to household head).
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