Ramayana — Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 105, Shloka 15
भरतस्य प्रार्थना—रामस्य कालधर्मोपदेशः
Bharata’s Petition and Rama’s Instruction on Time and Mortality
नाऽत्मनः कामकारोऽस्ति पुरुषोऽयमनीश्वरः।इतश्चेतरतश्चैनं कृतान्तः परिकर्षति।।2.105.15।।
nātmanaḥ kāmakāro 'sti puruṣo 'yam anīśvaraḥ | itaś c'etarataś cainaṃ kṛtāntaḥ parikarṣati ||2.105.15||
Con người chẳng thể tùy ý theo dục vọng của mình; vốn không tự tại, chẳng độc lập. Nghiệp lực—định mệnh—kéo lôi người ấy khi về phía này, khi sang phía khác.
All accumulations of wealth deplete at the end. Every man who attains elevated positions falls at the end. Every union culminates in separation. Every life ends in death.
FAQs
It teaches humility and acceptance: dharma is upheld by steady right action even when outcomes are governed by forces beyond personal control.
In the forest episode of Sarga 105, a close companion counsels Rāma with reflections on human limitation and the power of fate.
Kṣānti (forbearance) and dhairya (fortitude): acting rightly without being consumed by grief over what cannot be controlled.