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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.101.5
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 says a person's actions, rather than appearances or birth alone, reveal their character
2.101.5
anārays tv ārya saṃkāśaḥ śaucād dhīnas tathā śuciḥ
lakṣaṇyavad alakṣaṇyo duḥśīlaḥ śīlavān iva
An ignoble man may look like a noble one, one bereft of purity may seem pure, one without auspicious marks may appear to bear them, and a man of bad character may seem virtuous.
Words: anārays tv — but an ignoble one; ārya saṃkāśaḥ — resembling a noble one; śaucād — from purity; dhīnas — bereft, devoid; tathā — yet, likewise; śuciḥ — (seeming) pure; lakṣaṇyavad — like one with auspicious marks; alakṣaṇyo — one without (good) marks; duḥśīlaḥ — of bad character; śīlavān iva — like a man of good character
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.