Valmiki Ramayana 2.23.5-6: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 23, Shlokas 5-6
लक्ष्मणक्रोधः · दैवपुरुषकारविवादः
Lakshmana’s Wrath and the Debate on Destiny vs Human Effort
Spoken by Lakshmana to RamaSetting: Ayodhya (implied)
अस्थाने सम्भ्रमो यस्य जातो वै सुमहानयम् ॥५॥
धर्मदोष प्रसङ्गेन लोकस्यानतिशङ्कया ।
कथंह्येतदसम्भ्रान्तस्त्वद्विधो वक्तुमर्हति ॥६॥
यथा दैवमशौडीरं शौण्डीर क्षत्रियर्षभ ।
asthāne sambhramo yasya jāto vai sumahān ayam ||5||
dharmadoṣa-prasaṅgena lokasyānatiśaṅkayā |
kathaṃ hy etad asambhrāntas tvad-vidho vaktum arhati ||6||
yathā daivam aśauḍīraṃ śauṇḍīra kṣatriyarṣabha |
అసమయమున నీలో ఈ గొప్ప ఆందోళన కలిగింది—ధర్మదోషం వస్తుందేమో అన్న చింతతో, ప్రజల తీర్పుపై భయంతో. హే వీరుడా, క్షత్రియశ్రేష్ఠా! నిజానికి శక్తిలేని దైవాన్ని శక్తిమంతమని చెప్పడం నీలాంటి స్థిరసాహసుడికి ఎలా తగును?
Sandhi Notes
- लोकस्यानतिशङ्कया = लोकस्य + अनतिशङ्कया
- कथंह्येतत् = कथम् + हि + एतत्
- असम्भ्रान्तस्त्वद्विधः = असम्भ्रान्तः + त्वद्विधः (विसर्ग-लोप)
- दैवमशौडीरम् = दैवम् + अशौडीरम्
O Rama, the greatest among the brave kshatriyas! you say this because of your fear that (by disobeying father's command) harm will be done to righteousness. This great haste is unwarranted for there is the least apprehension about people's verdict (in favour of exile). How do you, of all persons, speak about destiny as all-powerful in these circumstances when it is powerless?
The teaching
Let dharma guide action, not panic; do not attribute moral responsibility to fate when courage and discernment are required.
Duties in tension
- Dharma integrity vs fear-driven haste
- Public reputation management vs inner courage
- Kṣatriya valor vs anxiety
- Ethical theme
- Svadharma (kṣatriya) / rājadharma
- How it resolves
- Ethical exhortation to steadiness and agency
For your practice
Practice of non-fatalism and steady mind (sthita-citta) in duty; suitable for daily reflection on agency.
Mood and themes
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism), with Raudra (fury)
- Mood
- Rebuking, unyielding, clarifying
Themes
- Dharma
- Ethics
- Agency
- Political morality
Affirms practical agency (vyavahāra) over surrender to impersonal fate; aligns with the idea that bondage is not removed by passivity but by right action and discernment.
Echo of fearlessness (abhaya) as a mark of the noble; agitation is treated as a lapse from inner steadiness.
- Kaikeyi and Rama
- Stepmother-son; political obstruction (adversarial)
- Manthara and Kaikeyi
- Counselor-instigator; covert influence (adversarial)
- Rama and Daiva
- Agency vs determinism (fate denied power) (defiant)
- Rama and Dharma
- Guardian/embodiment; fear of dharma-dosha (reverent)
Bhagavad Gītā 18.14-16 (causes of action; not mere fate); Mahābhārata Śānti Parva debates on daiva vs puruṣakāra
Smṛti emphasis on loka as witness to rājadharma
Ayodhyākāṇḍa recurring motif: Rama’s composure and the court’s moral scrutiny
Anuṣṭup (śloka)
Commanding
Madhyama-gati, with strong cadence on 'अशौडीरं' and 'शौण्डीर'
FAQs
Dharma is presented as requiring courageous responsibility; Lakshmana rejects using “fate” as an excuse to avoid confronting wrongdoing.
This is a repeated/overlapping numbering in the Southern Recension presentation; it continues Lakshmana’s rebuke of Rama’s fatalistic framing.
Fearless frankness (satyavacana) in counsel—Lakshmana speaks hard truths to protect Rama’s rightful standing.
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