Valmiki Ramayana 2.44.15-16: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 44, Shlokas 15-16
सुमित्रोपदेशः · Sumitra’s Consolation to Kausalya
सूर्यस्यापि भवेत्सूर्यो ह्यग्नेरग्नि प्रभोः प्रभुः ।
श्रियः श्रीश्च भवेदग्र्या कीर्तिः कीर्त्याः क्षमाक्षमा ॥१५॥
दैवतं दैवतानां च भूतानां भूतसत्तमः ।
तस्य के ह्यगुणा देवि वने वाप्यथवा पुरे ॥१६॥
sūryasyāpi bhavet sūryo hy agner agni prabhoḥ prabhuḥ |
śriyaḥ śrīś ca bhaved agryā kīrtiḥ kīrtyāḥ kṣamā kṣamā ||15||
daivataṃ daivatānāṃ ca bhūtānāṃ bhūtasattamaḥ |
tasya ke hy aguṇā devi vane vāpy athavā pure ||16||
Wahai Devi, bagi matahari baginda laksana matahari; bagi api laksana api; bagi para penguasa, dialah penguasa segala penguasa; bagi kemakmuran, dialah kemakmuran itu sendiri; bagi kemasyhuran, dialah kemasyhuran tertinggi; bagi yang penyabar, dialah kesabaran. Suatu ketuhanan di antara para dewa, yang terbaik di antara segala makhluk—apakah cela yang mungkin ada padanya, wahai Devi, sama ada di rimba atau di kota?
O Devi! Rama is the Sun (light) of the Sun, fire (splendour) of the fire, master (command) of masters, prosperity of the prosperous, the fame of the famous, forbearance of the forbearing, god of the gods and supreme among all beings. Whether he dwells in the forest or in the city, he has no demerit whatsoever.
FAQs
True virtue is context-independent: a dharmic person remains blameless and beneficent whether in comfort (city) or hardship (forest).
Sumitrā elevates Rāma’s character through a chain of superlative metaphors to calm Kausalyā’s fear about exile.
Rāma’s flawless excellence (nirdoṣatā) and forbearance (kṣamā), presented as universally sustaining qualities.
Ask anything about this verse
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
A free sign-in with Google or Apple keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Valmiki Ramayana in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with word-by-word meanings, Sanskrit recitation where available, and more.