← 2.39.3 · Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa 39: Sumitrā comforts Kausalyā · 2.39.5 →
Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.39.4
Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa, sarga 39: Sumitrā comforts Kausalyā. She praises Lakṣmaṇa’s service and Sītā’s companionship and assures Kausalyā of Rāma’s return and abhiṣeka
In the sequence: Lakṣmaṇa is faithfully caring for him, and Sītā has freely chosen to share his hardships
2.39.4
śiṣṭair ācarite samyak śaśvat pretya phalodaye
rāmo dharme sthitaḥ śreṣṭho na sa śocyaḥ kadā cana
Firmly set in the righteousness rightly practised by the virtuous, ever yielding its fruit in the hereafter, Rāma is the best; he is never to be mourned.
Words: śiṣṭair — by the wise, virtuous; ācarite — practised, followed; samyak — rightly, properly; śaśvat — ever, perpetually; pretya — after death, in the hereafter; phalodaye — yielding its fruit; rāmo — Rāma; dharme — in righteousness; sthitaḥ — established; śreṣṭho — the best; na sa śocyaḥ — he is not to be mourned; kadā cana — ever, at any time
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.