Valmiki Ramayana 2.53.26: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 53, Shloka 26
पञ्चाशत्तमः सर्गः (Sarga 53): Rāma’s Lament, Vigil for Sītā, and Lakṣmaṇa’s Consolation
Spoken by Rama to LakshmanaSetting: Ayodhya (abhiṣeka context)
अधर्मभयभीतश्च परलोकस्य चानघ ।
तेन लक्ष्मण नाद्याह मात्मानमभिषेचये ॥२६॥
adharmabhayabhītaś ca paralokasya cānagha |
tena lakṣmaṇa nādyāha m ātmānam abhiṣecaye ||26||
โอ้ลักษมณะผู้ปราศจากมลทิน ด้วยความหวาดเกรงต่ออธรรม และระลึกถึงโลกหน้า ข้าจึงมิได้ให้ตนรับพิธีราชาภิเษกในวันนี้
Sandhi Notes
- अधर्मभयभीतश्च = अधर्मभयभीतः + च। चानघ = च + अनघ। नाद्याहम् = न + अद्य + अहम्। मात्मानम् = (न) + आत्मानम् (sandhi: न + आत्मानम् -> नात्मानम्; पाठे ‘म’ उपपाठ-प्रभावः, अर्थतः ‘न आत्मानम्’)।
O sinless one, I did not get myself coronated owing to fear of unrighteous conduct and fear of the other world.
The teaching
Let fear of unrighteousness and remembrance of consequences beyond this life govern decisions; kingship is legitimate only when dharma-pure.
Duties in tension
- Accepting rightful coronation (rāja-dharma)
- Avoiding adharma associated with contested/tainted accession
- Upholding accountability to karma and the afterlife (paraloka-smṛti)
- Ethical theme
- Conscience-based governance (dharma-pradhāna rājya)
- How it resolves
- Renunciation/deferral of power based on dharmic fear and karmic foresight
For your practice
Paraloka-smṛti (remembrance of long-term karmic horizon) as daily ethical compass; supports vrata-like restraint and integrity.
Mood and themes
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace), with Karuna (compassion)
- Mood
- Conscientious, restrained, grave
Themes
- Dharma
- Satya
- Ethics
- Kingship
- Karma
Ethical fear as sattvic discernment (viveka) restraining ambition; orientation to the beyond mirrors turning from transient to enduring.
Concern for ‘paraloka’ recalls Upanishadic emphasis on karma and the path after death; choosing śreyas (right) over immediate gain.
- Rama and Lakshmana
- Elder brother explaining moral reasoning to younger brother (calm-instructive)
- Rama and Dharma
- Reverent fear of unrighteousness guiding action (awe-cautious)
Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.18-2.19 (Rama’s commitment to truth and dharma); Rāmacaritamānasa Ayodhyākāṇḍa (Rama’s refusal grounded in dharma and father’s word; thematic); Mahābhārata Śānti/Anuśāsana motifs: kingship must be dharma-rooted and accountable beyond this life (thematic)
Vedic idea of ṛta/dharma as cosmic-moral order; paraloka as karmic horizon
Ayodhyākāṇḍa: repeated framing of Rama’s choices as dharma-driven rather than power-driven
Anuṣṭup (śloka)
Solemn, reflective
Even, measured svara with gentle rise on paralokasya and cadence on abhiṣecaye
FAQs
Dharma includes accountability beyond immediate gain: Rāma avoids an act that could be unrighteous and spiritually harmful, prioritizing moral law over ambition.
Rāma explains to Lakṣmaṇa why he did not pursue coronation when it would conflict with righteous conduct and consequences in the hereafter.
Moral fear (adharma-bhaya) and spiritual responsibility—acting with awareness of karmic and otherworldly consequences.
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