← 2.1.11 · Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa 1: Daśaratha proposes Rāma as heir · 2.1.13 →
Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.1.12
Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa, sarga 1: Daśaratha proposes Rāma as heir. With Bharata & Śatrughna in Kekaya, Daśaratha weighs Rāma’s fitness to rule and summons an assembly
In the sequence: back in Ayodhyā, Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa attend to their father, while Rāma looks after public affairs and his obligations to his mothers and elders
2.1.12
pitur ājñāṃ puraskṛtya paurakāryāṇi sarvaśaḥ
cakāra rāmo dharmātmā priyāṇi ca hitāni ca
Placing his father's command foremost, righteous Rāma performed all the affairs of the townsfolk in every way, doing what was both pleasing and beneficial.
Words: pitur — of the father; ājñāṃ — the command; puraskṛtya — having put foremost, honouring; paurakāryāṇi — the affairs of the townsfolk; sarvaśaḥ — in every way, wholly; cakāra — did, performed; rāmo — Rāma; dharmātmā — the righteous-souled; priyāṇi ca — and pleasing things; hitāni ca — and beneficial things
Composed by Maharṣi Vālmīki, the ādikavi of the ādikāvya: the first poet of the first poem. Sanskrit: The Vālmīki-Rāmāyaṇa: Critical Edition, Oriental Institute, Baroda, 1960–1975 (gen. eds. G. H. Bhatt, U. P. Shah); IAST from GRETIL (Göttingen). Translation and word glosses: Claude Opus 4.6–4.7; summaries and sequences: ChatGPT Astra (machine-made). Numbering follows the Critical Edition, not the vulgate (e.g. Gita Press, valmikiramayan.net), so sarga and verse numbers can differ from those editions.