Ramayana — Bala Kanda, Sarga 61, Shloka 18
शुनःशेफविक्रयः
The Sale of Śunaḥśepa for the Sacrifice
अविक्रेयं सुतं ज्येष्ठं भगवानाह भार्गव:।।1.61.17।।ममापि दयितं विद्धि कनिष्ठं शुनकं नृप।तस्मात्कनीयसं पुत्रं न दास्ये तव पार्थिव ।।1.61.18।।
avikreyaṃ sutaṃ jyeṣṭhaṃ bhagavān āha bhārgavaḥ |
mamāpi dayitaṃ viddhi kaniṣṭhaṃ śunakaṃ nṛpa |
tasmāt kanīyasaṃ putraṃ na dāsye tava pārthiva ||
بھارگو (رِچیکا) بھگوان نے فرمایا: “بڑا بیٹا فروخت کے لائق نہیں۔ اور اے راجا! جان لو کہ سب سے چھوٹا، شُنک، مجھے بھی نہایت عزیز ہے۔ اس لیے اے پارتھیو! میں تمہیں اپنا چھوٹا بیٹا نہیں دوں گا۔”
O Rama! the sage and his wife having spoken thus, their middle son Sunassepha said on his own:
FAQs
Dharma is presented as a hierarchy of protected relationships: the father asserts limits on what can be exchanged, prioritizing duty and affection over transactional demand.
This is a repeated reading/tradition of the father’s refusal statement within the sarga transmission, emphasizing the same decision before the middle son speaks.
Consistency in stance—maintaining one’s declared principle when pressed by authority.