← 2.101.18 · Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa 101: Rāma rejects Jābāli’s advice · 2.101.20 →
Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.101.19
Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa, sarga 101: Rāma rejects Jābāli’s advice. A ruler’s actions guide his subjects, truth sustains trust and no worldly gain justifies breaking his father’s promise
In the sequence: he will not break the commitment to his father for gain or convenience
2.101.19
pratyagātmam imaṃ dharmaṃ satyaṃ paśyāmy ahaṃ svayam
bhāraḥ satpuruṣācīrṇas tad artham abhinandyate
This dharma of truth I myself perceive as bound up with my inmost soul; the burden that good men take up is welcomed for that very (truth's) sake.
Words: pratyagātmam — inmost, pertaining to the inner self; imaṃ dharmaṃ — this dharma; satyaṃ — (namely) truth; paśyāmy ahaṃ — I perceive; svayam — myself; bhāraḥ — the burden; satpuruṣācīrṇas — borne by good men; tad artham — for that purpose; abhinandyate — is welcomed, embraced
Composed by Maharṣi Vālmīki. 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.