← 2.1.25 · Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa 1: Daśaratha proposes Rāma as heir · 2.1.27 →
Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.1.26
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: the narrator describes the qualities that make Rāma fit to rule: he speaks kindly, remembers kindness rather than injuries, learns from elders, understands duty and government, manages revenue and expenditure, and is accomplished in warfare
2.1.26
evaṃ śraiṣṭhair guṇair yuktaḥ prajānāṃ pārthivātmajaḥ
saṃmatas triṣu lokeṣu vasudhāyāḥ kṣamāguṇaiḥ
buddhyā bṛhaspates tulyo vīryeṇāpi śacīpateḥ
Thus endowed with the finest virtues, the prince was esteemed among the people in all three worlds; with his qualities of forbearance he was the equal of the Earth, in intellect the equal of Bṛhaspati, and in valour the equal even of Śacī's lord (Indra).
Words: evaṃ — thus; śraiṣṭhair — with the finest; guṇair — with virtues; yuktaḥ — endowed, joined; prajānāṃ — among the people, subjects; pārthivātmajaḥ — the prince (king's son); saṃmatas — esteemed, honoured; triṣu lokeṣu — in the three worlds; vasudhāyāḥ — of the Earth; kṣamāguṇaiḥ — by qualities of forbearance; buddhyā — in intellect; bṛhaspates — of Bṛhaspati; tulyo — equal; vīryeṇāpi — and in valour; śacīpateḥ — of the lord of Śacī (Indra)
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.