Valmiki Ramayana 2.22.17 — Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 22, Shloka 17
अभिषेक-निवृत्ति-उपदेशः
Withdrawal of the Coronation: Rama’s Counsel to Lakshmana
जानासि हि यथा सौम्य न मातृषु ममान्तरम्।भूतपूर्वं विशेषो वा तस्या मयि सुतेऽपि वा।।।।
jānāsi hi yathā saumya na mātṛṣu mamāntaram | bhūtapūrvaṃ viśeṣo vā tasyā mayi sute ’pi vā ||
優しき者よ、あなたは知っている。私は母たちの間に隔てを抱いたことはないし、彼女もまた昔から、私と自分の子とを分け隔てしたことはなかった。
You know, O gentle Lakshmana! that never in the past had I any feeling of distinction amongst my mothers. And Kaikeyi never differentiated between me and her son.
FAQs
Dharma is fairness within family bonds: Rāma recalls an earlier ethic of impartial affection, resisting the urge to rewrite the past in anger.
Rāma reminds Lakṣmaṇa that Kaikeyī was formerly affectionate and unbiased, underscoring the abnormality of her present demand.
Rāma’s truthfulness and emotional balance—he acknowledges prior goodness even in someone now acting wrongly.
Ask anything about this verse
Curious about the meaning, context, or a word? Ask, and continue the conversation in the Vedapath app.
A free Google sign-in 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 audio, word-by-word meanings, and more.