Ramayana — Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 88, Shloka 26
रामशय्यादर्शनम्
Bharata Beholds Rama’s Forest Bed
अद्यप्रभृति भूमौ तु शयिष्येऽहं तृणेषु वा।फलमूलाशनो नित्यं जटाचीराणि धारयन्।।।।
adyaprabhṛti bhūmau tu śayiṣye ’haṃ tṛṇeṣu vā |
phalamūlāśano nityaṃ jaṭācīrāṇi dhārayan ||
ಇಂದಿನಿಂದ ನಾನು ಭೂಮಿಯ ಮೇಲೆಯೇ ಅಥವಾ ಹುಲ್ಲಿನ ಮೇಲೆಯೇ ಮಲಗುವೆನು; ನಿತ್ಯ ಫಲ-ಮೂಲಗಳನ್ನು ಭಕ್ಷಿಸಿ, ಜಟೆ ಮತ್ತು ವಲ್ಕಲವನ್ನು ಧರಿಸುವೆನು.
From today onwards, wearing matted hair and clad in robes made of bark and living on fruits and roots, I too shall sleep on the naked ground or on grass.
FAQs
Solidarity through self-discipline: sharing hardship is a moral response to injustice and separation, aligning personal life with truth and duty.
The speaker vows an ascetic mode of living in response to Rāma’s exile, refusing royal comfort.
Self-restraint and penitential resolve—choosing austerity to uphold satya and moral accountability.