Valmiki Ramayana 2.25.2: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 25, Shloka 2
कौशल्याया मङ्गलविधानम् · Kausalya’s Benedictions and Protective Rites for Rama
Spoken by Kausalya to RamaSetting: Ayodhya (palace setting implied)Immediate departure for exile; counsel at leave-taking
न शक्यसे वारयितुं गच्छेदानीं रघूत्तम ।
शीघ्रं च विनिवर्तस्व वर्तस्व च सतां क्रमे ॥२॥
na śakyase vārayituṃ gacchedānīṃ raghūttama |
śīghraṃ ca vinivartasva vartasva ca satāṃ krame ||2||
ഹേ രഘൂത്തമാ, ഇനി നിന്നെ തടയാൻ എനിക്കാകില്ല. നീ പോകുക; എന്നാൽ ശീഘ്രം മടങ്ങിവരികയും സജ്ജനന്മാർ അനുസരിക്കുന്ന മാർഗത്തിൽ തന്നേ പെരുമാറുകയും ചെയ്യുക.
Sandhi Notes
- gacchedānīm → gaccha idānīm
- raghūttama is a tatpuruṣa compound (raghu+uttama)
I am unable to dissuade you, O the best among the descendants of Raghus, from going into the forest. Go now and return soon. Follow in the footsteps of the virtuous.
The teaching
When persuasion fails against a righteous vow, guide the doer to remain within sadācāra and return promptly after duty is fulfilled.
Duties in tension
- Maternal desire to keep son safe vs acceptance of Rama’s duty to obey father/royal decree
- Attachment (śoka) vs righteous counsel (sadupadeśa)
- Ethical theme
- Dharma-guidance (sadācāra) amid personal loss
- How it resolves
- Ethical counsel and blessing while yielding to dharma
Devotion and practice
Daily ethical saṅkalpa: align actions with satām mārga; practice of restraint and prompt completion of duties.
- Mantra
- वर्तस्व च सतां क्रमे (walk in the path of the virtuous)
Mood and themes
- Rasa
- Karuna (compassion), with Shanta (peace)
- Mood
- Resigned, admonitory, devout
Themes
- Dharma
- Maryada
- Satya
- Mātṛ-vātsalya (maternal affection)
- Ethics
- Itihasa
Satām krama as alignment with dharma (ṛta) and inner conscience (antaryāmin); acting without being swayed by personal grief reflects sāttvika steadiness.
Ethical injunction tone akin to Upaniṣadic śikṣā-vallī: 'satyam vada, dharmam cara' (conduct in dharma).
- Kausalya and Rama
- Mother advising son; reluctant consent (sorrowful-resigned)
- Rama and Dharma
- Exemplar/embodiment of virtuous conduct (steadfast)
- Kausalya and Dharma
- Invocation of normative ethics to guide Rama (reverent)
Taittirīya Upaniṣad 1.11 (Śikṣāvallī: dharmam cara); Rāmacaritamānasa Ayodhyākāṇḍa: maternal/elder counsel to follow maryādā
Vedic/Smṛti sadācāra principle: satām mārga as pramāṇa for dharma
Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.18-2.23 (decision for exile and inability of elders to prevent it)
Anuṣṭup (śloka)
Solemn
Steady madhyama-gāndhāra with clear caesura after 'रघूत्तम' to mark counsel; firm cadence on imperatives.
FAQs
Even in hardship, one should follow sat-dharma—right conduct modeled by the virtuous—rather than acting from impulse or fear.
Rama is preparing to depart for forest-exile; Kausalya, unable to stop him, gives guidance and a mother’s urgent blessing to return safely.
Rama’s steadfast commitment to duty and disciplined conduct (maryādā), even when it causes personal pain to loved ones.
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