Shloka 17
मायामृगदर्शनम्
The Vision of the Illusory Deer
भरतस्यार्यपुत्रस्य श्वश्रूणां मम च प्रभो।मृगरूपमिदं व्यक्तं विस्मयं जनयिष्यति।।।।
bharatasyāryaputrasya śvaśrūṇāṁ mama ca prabho | mṛgarūpam idaṁ vyaktaṁ vismayaṁ janayiṣyati ||
Wahai Prabhu, wujud rusa ini—yang nyata-nyata menakjubkan—akan membangkitkan rasa heran pada Bharata, para ibu ratu, juga pada dirimu dan padaku.
O king! this deer will create amazement in Bharata, in mothers-in-law, in you and in me as well.
FAQs
It shows how social approval and family admiration can become motives that steer choices. Dharma requires acting from right principle, not merely from the desire to impress or delight others.
Sītā persuades Rāma by imagining the deer as a spectacle that will amaze Bharata and the elder queens when they return.
Sītā’s concern for shared family joy and harmony is present, though it also reveals susceptibility to fascination.