Valmiki Ramayana 2.21.27: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 21, Shloka 27
अयोध्याकाण्डे एकविंशः सर्गः · Lakṣmaṇa’s militant counsel and Rāma’s dharma
based persuasion of Kausalyā
Spoken by Kausalya to RamaSetting: AyodhyaPlaces named: niraya (hell), samudra (ocean)
ततस्त्वं प्राप्स्यसे पुत्र निरयं लोकविश्रुतम् ।
ब्रह्महत्यामिवाधर्मात्समुद्र स्सरितां पतिः ॥२७॥
tatas tvaṃ prāpsyase putra nirayaṃ lokaviśrutam |
brahmahatyām ivādharmāt samudraḥ saritāṃ patiḥ ||27||
അപ്പോൾ, മകനേ, നീ ലോകപ്രസിദ്ധമായ നരകത്തെ പ്രാപിക്കും; അധർമ്മം മൂലം നദികളുടെ അധിപനായ സമുദ്രൻ ബ്രഹ്മഹത്യാസമമായ പാപം ഏറ്റതുപോലെ.
Sandhi Notes
- ततस्त्वं = ततः + त्वम्
- लोकविश्रुतम् = लोक + विश्रुतम्
- ब्रह्महत्यामिवाधर्मात् = ब्रह्महत्याम् + इव + अधर्मात्
- समुद्र स्सरिताम् = समुद्रः + सरिताम् (visarga sandhi)
O son! you will then fall into hell. As well-known in the world, the ocean, the lord of rivers, incurred the guilt of slaying a brahmin through unrighteous conduct.
The teaching
Adharma, even when backed by power, ripens into fearful consequence; dharma must be upheld with clear speech and restraint.
Duties in tension
- Filial obedience to the king-father’s command vs preventing the father’s adharma and its karmic ruin
- Truth/pledge-keeping vs compassion for a suffering parent (Kausalyā)
- Ethical theme
- Rāja-dharma and putra-dharma (filial duty) under karmic accountability
- How it resolves
- Prioritizing dharma through warning/admonition while maintaining obedience
For your practice
Contemplation on karma-phala and restraint in adharma; supports daily self-audit (svādhyāya) before action.
Mood and themes
- Rasa
- Bhayanaka (fear), with Karuna (compassion)
- Mood
- Foreboding, admonitory, grave
Themes
- Dharma
- Adharma
- Karmic Consequence
- Ethics
- Warning
Adharma veils buddhi; actions under avidyā yield duḥkha-phala—echoing karma-bandhana logic.
Karma-phala and the ‘path of smoke/darkness’ motif (cf. Chāndogya/Kaṭha themes of post-mortem destinations) is suggested by ‘niraya’ as a negative gati.
- Ocean and Rivers
- Lord-of (saritaam pati)
Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.21 (context: Kausalyā–Rāma dialogue on Daśaratha’s command); Mahābhārata: Śānti/Anuśāsana parvans on brahmahatyā as mahāpātaka and adharma leading to naraka
Dharmaśāstra lists of mahāpātakas (brahmahatyā as archetype)
Ayodhyākāṇḍa: repeated insistence that adharma brings naraka; Rāma’s dharma-vāda to Kausalyā
Anuṣṭup (śloka)
Solemn
Mandra–madhyama, with heavy nyāsa on ‘nirayam’ and ‘brahmahatyām’
FAQs
The verse asserts karmic consequence: acting from adharma leads to grave spiritual downfall, illustrated through a mythic exemplum (the ocean’s incurred guilt).
Kausalyā escalates her plea into a moral warning, suggesting that abandoning her would be unrighteous and yield terrible consequences.
Moral seriousness about dharma and the belief that actions—especially toward parents—carry heavy karmic weight.
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