Ramayana — Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 78, Shloka 2
अष्टसप्ततितमः सर्गः — Śatrughna’s Fury and Bharata’s Restraint
Mantharā Episode
गतिर्य स्सर्वभूतानां दुःखे किं पुनरात्मनः।स राम स्सत्त्वसम्पन्नः स्त्रिया प्रव्राजितो वनम्।।।।
gatir yaḥ sarvabhūtānāṁ duḥkhe kiṁ punar ātmanaḥ |
sa rāmaḥ sattvasampannaḥ striyā pravrājito vanam ||
万有の衆生の究竟の帰依処であるラーマが、悲嘆の時にどうして自らを護れぬことがあろうか。しかもそのラーマ、徳と堅忍に満ちた御方が、一人の女によって森へ追われたのである。
Couldn't the mighty Rama who is the ultimate refuge of all beings protect himself in his own distress? That Rama has been exiled to the forest by a woman.
FAQs
The verse highlights the tension between moral authority and personal suffering: even the one who shelters others (Rāma) endures hardship without abandoning dharma, implying that righteousness is proven under adversity.
After Rāma’s exile, emotions flare in the royal household; Śatrughna expresses shock and indignation that Rāma has been sent to the forest due to Kaikeyī’s influence.
Rāma’s sattva (steadfast moral strength): he remains the ‘refuge of beings’ even while personally afflicted, suggesting inner integrity rather than mere power.