Ramayana — Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 22, Shloka 17
अभिषेक-निवृत्ति-उपदेशः
Withdrawal of the Coronation: Rama’s Counsel to Lakshmana
जानासि हि यथा सौम्य न मातृषु ममान्तरम्।भूतपूर्वं विशेषो वा तस्या मयि सुतेऽपि वा।।।।
jānāsi hi yathā saumya na mātṛṣu mamāntaram | bhūtapūrvaṃ viśeṣo vā tasyā mayi sute ’pi vā ||
जानासि हि सौम्य यथा मम मातृषु न कदाचनान्तरं, न च भूतपूर्वं तस्या मयि विशेषः, स्वसुतेऽपि वा।
You know, O gentle Lakshmana! that never in the past had I any feeling of distinction amongst my mothers. And Kaikeyi never differentiated between me and her son.
FAQs
Dharma is fairness within family bonds: Rāma recalls an earlier ethic of impartial affection, resisting the urge to rewrite the past in anger.
Rāma reminds Lakṣmaṇa that Kaikeyī was formerly affectionate and unbiased, underscoring the abnormality of her present demand.
Rāma’s truthfulness and emotional balance—he acknowledges prior goodness even in someone now acting wrongly.