Valmiki Ramayana 2.112.10: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 112, Shloka 10
पादुकाप्रदानम्
The Gift of the Sandals and Delegated Kingship
Spoken by Bharata to RamaSetting: Chitrakuta region (meeting dialogue in forest)Places named: ChitrakutaBharata’s mission to bring Rama back / resolve succession
राजधर्ममनुप्रेक्ष्य कुलधर्मानुसन्ततिम् ।
कर्तुमर्हसि काकुत्स्थ मम मातुश्च याचनाम् ॥१०॥
rājadharmam anuprēkṣya kuladharmānusantatim |
kartum arhasi kākutstha mama mātuś ca yācanām ||10||
โอ้กากุตสถะ เมื่อพิจารณาธรรมของพระราชาและสืบสายธรรมประเพณีแห่งตระกูลของเราแล้ว ท่านพึงสมควรที่จะประทานคำวิงวอนของข้าพเจ้า—และของมารดาข้าพเจ้าด้วย
Sandhi Notes
- rājadharmamanuprīkṣya → rājadharmam + anuprīkṣya
- mātuśca → mātuḥ + ca
O Rama, keeping in view the code of kings and tradition of our family, it behoves you to consider my supplication and that of my mother.
The teaching
When duties collide, one argues from rājadharma and kula-paramparā, seeking the course that sustains social order without violating truth.
Duties in tension
- Rama’s duty to uphold father’s word/exile vow
- Rama’s duty as rightful king to protect the realm (rājadharma)
- Bharata’s duty to family tradition vs rejection of unjust gain
- Respecting Kaikeyi as mother/queen vs moral repudiation of her demand
- Ethical theme
- Rājadharma / dharma-sankata
- How it resolves
- Appeal to higher-order dharma through tradition and kingship norms (argumentative persuasion)
For your practice
Reflection on svadharma and integrity in leadership; useful for vrata-like resolve and ethical discernment.
Mood and themes
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace), with Karuna (compassion)
- Mood
- Solemn, duty-laden, pleading
Themes
- Dharma
- Rajadharma
- Kuladharma
- Satya
- Ethics
- Succession
Dharma as niyati within vyavahāra: action guided by ordained role (svadharma) rather than personal preference.
Īśa-like restraint motif: renunciation/acceptance governed by order (ṛta/dharma) rather than desire.
- Bharata and Rama
- Younger brother petitioning elder; rightful heir appealing to dharma (humble supplication)
- Kaikeyi and Rama
- Stepmother’s request conveyed through Bharata; politically consequential (strained duty-bound appeal)
- Bharata and Kaikeyi
- Son representing mother’s plea while personally conflicted (reluctant mediation)
Valmiki Ramayana Ayodhya-kanda: Bharata’s repeated entreaties to Rama to return and rule (2.107–2.113); Rāmacaritamānasa Ayodhyā-kāṇḍa: Bharata’s विनय and dharma-based appeal
Dharmaśāstra notions of rājadharma and kula-paramparā
Ayodhya-kanda: Kaikeyi’s boons and exile order; Rama’s vow to uphold father’s word; Ayodhya-kanda: Bharata’s rejection of kingship and insistence on Rama’s right
Anuṣṭup (śloka)
Solemn
Steady, low register; slight emphasis on 'राजधर्मम्' and 'कुलधर्म' with a resolving cadence on 'याचनाम्'
FAQs
Rulership must follow rājadharma and inherited kuladharma: Bharata argues that decisions about the throne should align with established ethical codes and lineage tradition, not personal advantage.
Bharata petitions Rāma to act in accordance with royal duty and family tradition, presenting both his own and his mother’s request.
Deference to dharma over desire: Bharata frames his appeal as principled, invoking normative standards (rājadharma/kuladharma) rather than mere emotion.
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