Valmiki Ramayana 2.36.26: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 36, Shloka 26
अयोध्याकाण्डे षट्त्रिंशः सर्गः · Daśaratha’s orders for Rama’s escort; Kaikeyi’s fear; the Asamañjasa precedent
Spoken by Siddhartha to KaikeyiSetting: Palace
इत्येनमत्यजद्राजा सगरो वै सुधार्मिकः ।
रामः किमकरोत्पापं येनैवमुपरुध्यते ॥२६॥
ity enam atyajad rājā sagaro vai sudhārmikaḥ |
rāmaḥ kim akarot pāpaṃ yenaivam uparudhyate ||26||
राजा सागर ने उसे ऐसे ही छोड़ दिया, वो बड़ा धरम वाला था। अब बताओ, राम ने क्या पाप किया जो ऐसे पकड़ के निकाल दिया जा रहा है?
Sandhi Notes
- इत्येनम् → इति एनम्
- अत्यजद्राजा → अत्यजत् राजा
- किमकरोत्पापम् → किम् अकरोत् पापम्
- येनैवम् → येन एवम्
Highly righteous king Sagara thus banished his son. What sin has Rama committed to secure a similar banishment?
The teaching
धर्म is not proved by precedent alone; the innocence of the virtuous must be weighed before imposing daṇḍa.
Duties in tension
- राजधर्म (upholding vows/orders) vs न्याय (not punishing the innocent)
- प्रतिज्ञा-पालन vs करुणा
- Ethical theme
- न्याय / राजधर्म
- How it resolves
- Unresolved; posed as moral challenge
Devotion and practice
Bhakti through defending the Lord/ideal man’s spotless conduct; encourages satya-vākya and moral courage.
- Deity praised
- रामः (as dharmic ideal, implicitly)
Mood and themes
- Rasa
- Karuna (compassion), with Vira (heroism)
- Mood
- Moral protest, pained wonder, defensive loyalty
Themes
- Dharma
- Satya
- Justice
- Innocence
- Ethics
Questioning ‘what sin did Rāma do?’ echoes the deeper inquiry into apparent suffering of the righteous—distinguishing vyāvahārika appearances from inner purity.
Kaṭha: the wise discern dharma beyond surface outcomes; suffering is not a sure mark of adharma.
Mahābhārata, Śānti: discourse on punishing the innocent as adharma; Rāmacaritamānasa: public lament and defense of Rāma’s spotless character
Itihāsa method of citing precedents (ākhyāna)
Ayodhyākāṇḍa: repeated assertions of Rāma’s nirdoṣatva by citizens and elders
अनुष्टुप् (Anuṣṭubh)
Solemn
Slightly raised pitch on the rhetorical question, then cadence
FAQs
Punishment must be proportionate and deserved. Siddhārtha argues from dharma and satya: exile is justified for proven harm, but Rāma is guiltless—therefore the act is ethically incoherent.
After citing Sagara’s righteous banishment of a cruel son, Siddhārtha challenges the present decision by asking what wrongdoing Rāma has committed to merit similar treatment.
Rāma’s moral innocence and blamelessness, serving as the basis for questioning an unjust application of royal power.
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