Ramayana — Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 108, Shloka 17
जाबाल्युपदेशः
Jabali’s Pragmatic Counsel to Rama
स नास्ति परमित्येव कुरु बुद्धिं महामते।प्रत्यक्षं यत्तदातिष्ठ परोक्षं पृष्ठतः कुरु।।।।
sa nāsti param ity eva kuru buddhiṁ mahāmate |
pratyakṣaṁ yat tad ātiṣṭha parokṣaṁ pṛṣṭhataḥ kuru ||
ಹೇ ಮಹಾಮತೇ! ‘ಪರಲೋಕವೆಂಬುದು ಇಲ್ಲ’ ಎಂಬ ನಿಶ್ಚಯವನ್ನು ಮಾಡು; ಪ್ರತ್ಯಕ್ಷವಾದುದನ್ನೇ ಹಿಡಿದುಕೋ, ಪರೋಕ್ಷವಾದುದಕ್ಕೆ ಬೆನ್ನು ತಿರುಗಿಸು.
A man who goes from one village to another takes rest somewhere on the way and the next day leaves the place and proceeds on his journey. Similarly, father, mother, home and wealth are resting-places to a man. The wise do not get attached to them, O descendant the Kakutsthas!
FAQs
It argues for action grounded in verifiable reality (pratyakṣa). In dharma-discourse, this is presented as an epistemic stance: trust what is evident rather than speculative promises.
Bharata presses a strongly this-worldly position, advising Rāma to prioritize the seen over the unseen in deciding how to act.
Pragmatic discernment—choosing based on direct knowledge rather than conjecture.