Valmiki Ramayana 2.21.61: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 21, Shloka 61
अयोध्याकाण्डे एकविंशः सर्गः · Lakṣmaṇa’s militant counsel and Rāma’s dharma
based persuasion of Kausalyā
Spoken by Rama to KausalyaSetting: Ayodhyā palace (Kauśalyā’s quarters implied)Places named: vana (forest)Departure preparations toward forest-exile
सा माऽनुमन्यस्व वनं व्रजन्तं कुरुष्व न स्स्वस्त्ययनानि देवि ।
यथा समाप्ते पुनराव्रजेयं यथा हि सत्येन पुनर्ययातिः ॥६१॥
sā mā 'numanyasva vanaṁ vrajantaṁ kuruṣva naḥ svastyayanāni devi |
yathā samāpte punar āvrajeyaṁ yathā hi satyena punar yayātiḥ ||61||
Assim, ó Mãe, concede-me licença ao partir para a floresta; realiza por mim os ritos de bênção e bom presságio, para que, cumprido o prazo, eu possa voltar novamente—como Yayāti voltou pelo poder da verdade.
Sandhi Notes
- माऽनुमन्यस्व = मा + अनुमन्यस्व (अवग्रहः)
- व्रजन्तंकुरुष्व = व्रजन्तम् + कुरुष्व
- न स्स्वस्त्ययनानि = नः + स्वस्त्ययनानि (विसर्ग-सन्धिः: नः + स् → नस्/नः स्व-; पाठे 'ss' इति)
- पुनराव्रजेयं = पुनः + आव्रजेयम् (विसर्ग-सन्धिः: पुनः + आ → पुनर् + आ)
- पुनर्ययातिः = पुनः + ययातिः (विसर्ग-सन्धिः: पुनः + य → पुनर् + य)
Grant me permission O mother, to depart for the forest. Bless me and perform ceremonies for my well-being so that I shall return (to the city) after completion (of my exile) like Yayati (who came back to heaven) with the strength of truth.
The teaching
Seek elders’ blessings before undertaking hardship; truth and vow-keeping become the vehicle of safe return and moral victory.
Duties in tension
- Filial duty to comfort mother vs. duty to keep father’s/king’s word and accept exile
- Personal safety vs. vow-bound dharma
- Ethical theme
- Satya-vrata and filial piety
- How it resolves
- Vrata-acceptance with maternal sanction (anujñā) and auspicious rites
Devotion and practice
Before major undertakings, take blessings, set a truthful intention (saṅkalpa), and commit to completing the term without deviation.
- Form of praise
- Vandana (salutation)
- Mantra
- स्वस्त्ययनानि
Mood and themes
- Rasa
- Karuna (compassion), with Shanta (peace)
- Mood
- Supplicatory, tender, resolute
Themes
- Dharma
- Satya
- Blessings
- Exile
- Itihasa reference
Satya as a form of inner alignment (antar-ṛta) that ‘returns’ one to wholeness; fidelity to vow as purification of mind (citta-śuddhi).
Taittirīya Upaniṣad’s ‘सत्यं वद, धर्मं चर’ ethos; satya as a sustaining force that bears fruit.
- Rama and Kausalya
- Son-mother; seeking permission/blessing (devotional)
- Rama and Yayati
- Exemplary precedent (itihāsa model) (reverent)
Mahābhārata: Yayāti narrative (Ādiparvan) as exemplar of consequence, truth, and return; Rāmacaritamānasa Ayodhyākāṇḍa: Rāma seeking mother’s blessings before exile
Upaniṣadic injunctions on satya and dharma (Taittirīya)
Ayodhyākāṇḍa: repeated motif of ‘term completed’ (समाप्ते) and return expectation; Rāma’s vow-keeping across the kāṇḍa
Anuṣṭup (śloka)
Grieving
Komala-gāndhāra touch for pathos; gentle nyāsa on ‘सत्येन’
FAQs
Satya and dharma are linked: truthful fidelity to a vow sustains rightful outcomes; blessings and auspicious rites support dharmic endurance through hardship.
Rāma seeks his mother’s consent and blessings before leaving for forest exile, expressing confidence in returning after the term ends.
Rāma’s humility and reverence toward parental blessing, and his trust in satya as a sustaining moral force.
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