Shloka 32
Bhīma–Hanūmān Dialogue on Yugas (युगवर्णनम्)
स पितु: प्रियमन्विच्छन् सहभार्य: सहानुज: । सभथनुर्धन्विनां श्रेष्ठो दण्डकारण्यमाश्रित:,वे अपने पिताकी आज्ञा पालन करनेके लिये पत्नी सीता और छोटे भाई लक्ष्मणके साथ दण्डकारण्यमें चले आये। धनुर्धरोंमें श्रेष्ठ रघचुनाथजी सदा धनुष-बाण लिये रहते थे
sa pituḥ priyam anvicchan sahabhāryaḥ sahānujaḥ | sa bhṛśaṃ dhanur-dharāṇāṃ śreṣṭho daṇḍakāraṇyam āśritaḥ ||
Seeking to fulfill what was dear to his father—namely, the father’s command—he went to the Daṇḍaka forest together with his wife and his younger brother. That foremost of bowmen, ever bearing bow and arrows, took refuge in the wilderness, embodying steadfast obedience and duty even at the cost of personal comfort.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights dharma as steadfast adherence to a rightful command—especially a father’s word—showing that ethical duty and obedience can require accepting hardship without resentment.
Rāma, accompanied by Sītā and Lakṣmaṇa, enters the Daṇḍaka forest to carry out his father’s command, and he is described as the foremost archer, constantly armed with bow and arrows.