Valmiki Ramayana 2.21.4: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 21, Shloka 4
अयोध्याकाण्डे एकविंशः सर्गः · Lakṣmaṇa’s militant counsel and Rāma’s dharma
based persuasion of Kausalyā
Spoken by Lakṣmaṇa to RamaSetting: Ayodhya (royal court/palace; debate over exile)Places named: rāṣṭra (kingdom), vana (forest)Pre-departure; decision phase before forest journey
नास्यापराधं पश्यामि नापि दोषं तथाविधम् ।
येन निर्वास्यते राष्ट्राद्वनवासाय राघवः ॥४॥
nāsyāparādhaṃ paśyāmi nāpi doṣaṃ tathāvidham |
yena nirvāsyate rāṣṭrād vanavāsāya rāghavaḥ ||4||
ರಾಘವನಲ್ಲಿ ನನಗೆ ಯಾವ ಅಪರಾಧವೂ ಕಾಣುವುದಿಲ್ಲ, ಹಾಗೆಯೇ ಅಂಥ ದೋಷವೂ ಇಲ್ಲ; ಅದರಿಂದ ಅವನನ್ನು ರಾಜ್ಯದಿಂದ ಹೊರಹಾಕಿ ವನವಾಸಕ್ಕೆ ಕಳುಹಿಸಬೇಕೆಂದು ನ್ಯಾಯವಾಗುವುದಿಲ್ಲ.
Sandhi Notes
- nāsya = na + asya
- nāpi = na + api
- rāṣṭrādvanavāsāya = rāṣṭrāt + vanavāsāya (t/d sandhi)
- aparādhaṃ/doṣaṃ before paśyāmi show anusvāra sandhi
I do not see any fault in Rama nor any offence committed by him for which he is exiled from the kingdom.
The teaching
Daṇḍa without doṣa is adharma; legitimacy of rule depends on justice, not mere power or promise.
Duties in tension
- King’s promise/boon obligation vs just governance
- Punishment/banishment vs absence of offense
- Political stability vs moral legitimacy
- Ethical theme
- Rāja-dharma / justice
- How it resolves
- Unresolved protest (ethical objection raised against the decree)
For your practice
Invites reflection on fairness and restraint in judgment; devotionally, reinforces Rama’s nirdoṣa (spotless) ideal for dhyāna.
Mood and themes
- Rasa
- Karuna (compassion), with Raudra (fury)
- Mood
- Indignant, pained, protesting
Themes
- Dharma
- Ethics
- Justice
- Rajadharma
- Innocence of Rama
The mismatch between inner purity and outer suffering evokes the problem of apparent injustice—later framed as karma and līlā debates; here it sharpens ethical scrutiny of rulership.
Implicit contrast between the blameless self and imposed suffering faintly recalls the Upaniṣadic theme of the untouched ātman versus worldly afflictions, though expressed in political-ethical terms.
- Rama and Kaikeyi
- Stepmother’s demand leading to banishment (implied adversarial dynamic) (adversarial)
Valmiki Ramayana 2.14–2.16 (public/court reactions to exile); Rāmacaritamānasa Ayodhyā-kāṇḍa (citizens’ protest: Rama is faultless)
Dharmaśāstra principle: daṇḍa should follow doṣa (punishment requires fault)
Ayodhya-kāṇḍa recurring assertions of Rama’s nirdoṣatva (blamelessness) by citizens and family
Anuṣṭup (śloka)
Commanding
Tāra with firm nyāsa (higher, emphatic close)
FAQs
The verse appeals to justice as part of dharma: punishment (exile) should correspond to a real offence or fault. It asserts that Rāma’s banishment lacks moral grounds.
Rāma is being sent to the forest instead of being installed as heir. Lakṣmaṇa reacts by insisting that Rāma has committed no wrongdoing deserving exile.
Lakṣmaṇa’s fierce loyalty and moral clarity—his refusal to accept unjust suffering inflicted upon the righteous.
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