Valmiki Ramayana 2.78.4: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 78, Shloka 4
अष्टसप्ततितमः सर्गः · Śatrughna’s Fury and Bharata’s Restraint
Mantharā Episode
पूर्वमेव तु निग्राह्य स्समवेक्ष्य नयानयौ ।
उत्पथं यस्समारूढो राजा नार्या वशं गतः ॥४॥
pūrvam eva tu nigrāhyaḥ samavekṣya nayānayau |
utpathaṁ yas samārūḍho rājā nāryā vaśaṁ gataḥ ||4||
राजा को पहले ही अपने आप को रोक लेना चाहिए था। सही और गलत देख के फैसला करना चाहिए था। वो गलत रास्ते पे चला गया और औरत के कहे में आ गया।
In the first place, the king could have restrained himself by reflecting on whether the course of action adopted by him under the influence of a woman was just or unjust.
FAQs
Rajadharma requires discernment (naya) and self-restraint; a ruler must not abandon justice due to personal attachments or persuasion.
Śatrughna interprets the exile as a failure of royal judgment, blaming the king’s susceptibility to influence rather than principled governance.
The virtue implied is viveka (discriminative judgment) as essential to kingship—measuring actions by right and wrong before acting.
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