Valmiki Ramayana 2.36.27: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 36, Shloka 27
अयोध्याकाण्डे षट्त्रिंशः सर्गः · Daśaratha’s orders for Rama’s escort; Kaikeyi’s fear; the Asamañjasa precedent
Addressed to Kaikeyi
न हि कञ्चन पश्यामो राघवस्यागुणं वयम् ।
दुर्लभो ह्यस्य निरय श्शशाङ्कस्येव कल्मषम् ॥२७॥
na hi kañcana paśyāmo rāghavasyāguṇaṃ vayam |
durlabho hy asya nirayaḥ śaśāṅkasyeva kalmaṣam ||27||
हम राम में कोई भी कमी नहीं देखते। उसमे कोई दोष ढूंढना इतना मुश्किल है, जैसे चाँद पर दाग ढूंढना, जो है ही नहीं।
Sandhi Notes
- rāghavasyāguṇam = rāghavasya + aguṇam
- durlabho hy asya = durlabhaḥ + hi + asya (visarga-lopa)
- śaśāṅkasy eva = śaśāṅkasya + iva
We see no fault in Rama. Unlike the stain in the Moon it is difficult to find any blemish in him.
The teaching
दोषारोपण on the virtuous is often baseless; discernment must separate appearance from reality.
Duties in tension
- लोकधर्म/न्याय (recognize innocence) vs राजाज्ञा/प्रतिज्ञा (exile despite innocence)
- Ethical theme
- सदाचार / न्याय
- How it resolves
- Assertion of moral truth (nirdoṣatva) as argument against exile
Devotion and practice
Japa-like remembrance of Rāma’s nirmalatā; strengthens śraddhā and moral aspiration.
- Deity praised
- रामः
- Form of praise
- Stuti (a hymn of praise)
- Mantra
- राघवस्यागुणं न पश्यामः
Mood and themes
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder), with Shanta (peace)
- Mood
- Spotless virtue, luminous purity, awed certainty
Themes
- Dharma
- Satya
- Ethics
- Royal duty
- Character appraisal
Like the moon’s ‘stain’ being only apparent, defects attributed to the pure Self are superimpositions (adhyāsa); the wise see intrinsic purity.
Chāndogya/Bṛhadāraṇyaka motifs of inner luminosity; the Self as stainless (akalmasha) echoed through the moon simile.
रात्रि (implied by moon imagery)
Mahābhārata: comparisons of great men to the moon’s purity (various stutis); Rāmacaritamānasa: Rāma described as nirmala, candrama-sama
Vedic lunar purity imagery (Soma as luminous, cleansing)
Ayodhyākāṇḍa: citizens’ laments praising Rāma’s guṇas; later Uttarakāṇḍa: public scrutiny themes (contrast)
अनुष्टुप् (Anuṣṭubh)
Solemn
Bright upper madhyama on ‘शशाङ्कस्येव’ then gentle descent
FAQs
Dharma here is moral discernment and justice: condemnation or punishment must rest on real fault. The verse asserts Rāma’s integrity and warns against judging without evidence.
In Ayodhyā, amid the crisis caused by Kaikeyī’s demands, the speaker argues that Rāma is blameless and thus unworthy of harsh treatment like exile.
Rāma’s spotless conduct (śīla) and freedom from vice—his life is portrayed as so pure that any defect is nearly impossible to locate.
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.
