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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 3.8.26

Araṇya Kāṇḍa, sarga 8: Story of the tapasvin’s sword. Sītā describes how guarding Indra’s weapon corrupted a peaceful ṛṣi and warns Rāma against violence without enmity

In the sequence: she praises dharma as the source of lasting well-being and asks him to consider her words with Lakṣmaṇa, then decide for himself.

3.8.26

dharmād arthaḥ prabhavati dharmāt prabhavate sukham
dharmeṇa labhate sarvaṃ dharmasāram idaṃ jagat

From dharma springs wealth, from dharma springs happiness; by dharma one gains everything—this world has dharma for its essence.

Words: dharmād — from dharma; arthaḥ — wealth, gain; prabhavati — springs, arises; dharmāt — from dharma; prabhavate — springs, arises; sukham — happiness; dharmeṇa — by dharma; labhate — one obtains; sarvaṃ — everything; dharmasāram — having dharma as essence; idaṃ — this; jagat — world

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.