Valmiki Ramayana 2.45.25: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 45, Shloka 25
अयोध्यावासिजनानुरागः · The People and Brahmins Follow Rama toward Exile
Addressed to RamaSetting: On the road near Ayodhya during the exile departurePlaces named: Ayodhya, homes (gṛha)Reassurance offered while contemplating separation and return home
हृदयेष्वेव तिष्ठन्ति वेदा ये नः परं धनम् ।
वत्स्यन्त्यपि गृहेष्वेव दाराश्चारित्ररक्षिताः ॥२५॥
hṛdayeṣv eva tiṣṭhanti vedā ye naḥ paraṁ dhanam |
vatsyanty api gṛheṣv eva dārāś cāritrarakṣitāḥ ||25||
Wedy, nasz najwyższy skarb, pozostają utrwalone w naszych sercach; a nasze żony, strzeżone przez wierność, pozostaną w domach.
Sandhi Notes
- हृदयेष्वेव → हृदयेषु + एव
- वत्स्यन्त्यपि → वत्स्यन्ति + अपि
- गृहेष्वेव → गृहेषु + एव
- दाराश्चारित्ररक्षिताः → दाराः + चारित्ररक्षिताः
The Vedas are our greatest wealth and they reside in our hearts. Our wives, protected by their fidelity, shall stay at home.
The teaching
When outer circumstances change, inner dharma—knowledge in the heart and fidelity in conduct—preserves social and spiritual order.
- Ethical theme
- Gṛhastha-dharma / ācāra
- How it resolves
- Affirmation of gṛhastha-dharma continuity
For your practice
Supports daily practice: treat śruti/values as inner wealth; protect relationships through integrity.
Mood and themes
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace), with Karuna (compassion)
- Mood
- Assuring, steadfast, chaste
Themes
- Dharma
- Satya
- Brahminical duty
- Self-restraint
- Household ethics
‘Veda in the heart’ aligns with the idea that true knowledge is inward (antar-jñāna), not merely external possession; dharma as inner saṃskāra.
Hṛdaya as seat of the highest treasure echoes Upaniṣadic heart-lotus imagery where knowledge abides; emphasis on inner wealth over outer goods.
Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.45.24 (mind aligned to Veda turned to forest-discipline); Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.45.26 (appeal to Rama’s dharma)
Dharmaśāstra ideals of gṛhastha fidelity and household order; Śruti as supreme wealth (vidyā-dhana motif)
Ayodhyākāṇḍa: citizens’ concern for social order and moral continuity despite Rama’s departure
Anuṣṭup (śloka)
Solemn-assuring
Calm, slightly lower register; gentle pause after 'paraṃ dhanam'
FAQs
True wealth is inner, not external: dharma is preserved through internalized sacred knowledge and through fidelity and ethical conduct within the household.
The Brahmins reassure Rama that even if they accompany him, their sacred capital (Vedas) is secure in memory and their households will remain protected by virtue.
Integrity and continence (cāritra): moral self-guarding that sustains social and spiritual order even in crisis.
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