# Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa 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* Portion: The dispute over Kingship and duty · Verses: 31 · Ref format: 2.101. ## Sequence - Rāma rejects advice that seems beneficial but would require dishonorable conduct (101.1–2) - he says a person's actions, rather than appearances or birth alone, reveal their character (101.3–5) - breaking his pledge would make him unworthy of others' trust (101.6–8) - because people follow their rulers' example, a King's truthfulness matters to the whole community (101.9–11) - he presents truth as the foundation of promises, religious practice, and social confidence (101.12–14) - he will not break the commitment to his father for gain or convenience (101.15–20) - he rejects Jābāli's proposal as a justification for wrongdoing rather than a release from duty (101.21–24) - he renews his intention to live with restraint in the forest and fulfill the vow through his own actions (101.25–31). ## Verses **2.101.1** jābāles tu vacaḥ śrutvā rāmaḥ satyātmanāṃ varaḥ uvāca parayā yuktyā svabuddhyā cāvipannayā Having heard Jābāli's words, Rāma, the best of the truthful-souled, replied with cogent reasoning and with his own unerring judgement: **2.101.2** bhavān me priyakāmārthaṃ vacanaṃ yad ihoktavān akāryaṃ kāryasaṃkāśam apathyaṃ pathyasaṃmitam The words you have here spoken out of a wish for my good are things not to be done though they wear the look of things to be done, unwholesome though they pass for wholesome. **2.101.3** nirmaryādas tu puruṣaḥ pāpācārasamanvitaḥ mānaṃ na labhate satsu bhinnacāritradarśanaḥ A man without restraint, given over to evil conduct, seen to have broken the bounds of good conduct, wins no honour among the good. **2.101.4** kulīnam akulīnaṃ vā vīraṃ puruṣamāninam cāritram eva vyākhyāti śuciṃ vā yadi vāśucim Whether a man be high-born or low-born, a hero or merely self-important, pure or impure — it is his conduct alone that declares him. **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. **2.101.6** adharmaṃ dharmaveṣeṇa yadīmaṃ lokasaṃkaram abhipatsye śubhaṃ hitvā kriyāvidhivivarjitam If, forsaking the good, I were to embrace this unrighteousness in the guise of dharma — this confounding of the world, void of prescribed rites and rules — **2.101.7** kaś cetayānaḥ puruṣaḥ kāryākāryavicakṣaṇaḥ bahu maṃsyati māṃ loke durvṛttaṃ lokadūṣaṇam what sensible man, skilled in telling right action from wrong, would think highly of me in the world — of me, ill-conducted, a defiler of the world? **2.101.8** kasya yāsyāmy ahaṃ vṛttaṃ kena vā svargam āpnuyām anayā vartamāno 'haṃ vṛttyā hīnapratijñayā Whose good conduct should I then be following, and by what means could I win heaven, if I lived by this way of conduct that had abandoned its pledge? **2.101.9** kāmavṛttas tv ayaṃ lokaḥ kṛtsnaḥ samupavartate yadvṛttāḥ santi rājānas tadvṛttāḥ santi hi prajāḥ This entire world orders its conduct after the example (of its rulers); for of whatever conduct the kings are, of just that conduct are the subjects. **2.101.10** satyam evānṛśaṃsyaṃ ca rājavṛttaṃ sanātanam tasmāt satyātmakaṃ rājyaṃ satye lokaḥ pratiṣṭhitaḥ Truth and mercy are the eternal duty of a king; therefore the kingdom has truth for its very essence, and upon truth the world is founded. **2.101.11** ṛṣayaś caiva devāś ca satyam eva hi menire satyavādī hi loke 'smin paramaṃ gacchati kṣayam Both seers and gods have esteemed truth alone; and the truthful man in this world attains the supreme abode. **2.101.12** udvijante yathā sarpān narād anṛtavādinaḥ dharmaḥ satyaṃ paro loke mūlaṃ svargasya cocyate People shrink from a man who speaks falsehood as from serpents; truth is the highest dharma in the world, and is called the root of heaven. **2.101.13** satyam eveśvaro loke satyaṃ padmā samāśritā satyamūlāni sarvāṇi satyān nāsti paraṃ padam Truth alone is sovereign in the world; on truth the goddess Padmā (Śrī) rests; all things are rooted in truth, and there is no state higher than truth. **2.101.14** dattam iṣṭaṃ hutaṃ caiva taptāni ca tapāṃsi ca vedāḥ satyapratiṣṭhānās tasmāt satyaparo bhavet Gifts bestowed, sacrifices offered, oblations poured, austerities undergone, and the Vedas themselves — all rest upon truth; therefore one should hold truth supreme. **2.101.15** ekaḥ pālayate lokam ekaḥ pālayate kulam majjaty eko hi niraya ekaḥ svarge mahīyate Alone a man upholds the world, alone he upholds his family; alone he sinks into hell, and alone he is exalted in heaven. **2.101.16** so 'haṃ pitur nideśaṃ tu kimarthaṃ nānupālaye satyapratiśravaḥ satyaṃ satyena samayīkṛtaḥ Why then should I not carry out my father's command — I who have made a true promise, and am truly bound by a covenant of truth? **2.101.17** naiva lobhān na mohād vā na cājñānāt tamo'nvitaḥ setuṃ satyasya bhetsyāmi guroḥ satyapratiśravaḥ Neither from greed, nor from delusion, nor from ignorance shrouded in darkness, shall I breach the dyke of the truth (I gave) to my father — I who am bound by my true pledge. **2.101.18** asatyasaṃdhasya sataś calasyāsthiracetasaḥ naiva devā na pitaraḥ pratīcchantīti naḥ śrutam Of a man false to his word, fickle and unsteady of mind, neither the gods nor the ancestors accept the offerings — so we have heard. **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. **2.101.20** kṣātraṃ dharmam ahaṃ tyakṣye hy adharmaṃ dharmasaṃhitam kṣudraur nṛśaṃsair lubdhaiś ca sevitaṃ pāpakarmabhiḥ For (to obey you) I should be casting off the kṣatriya's dharma and taking on an unrighteousness cloaked as righteousness — a thing pursued by the base, the cruel, the greedy, and the doers of evil deeds. **2.101.21** kāyena kurute pāpaṃ manasā saṃpradhārya ca anṛtaṃ jihvayā cāha trividhaṃ karma pātakam One does the sinful deed with the body, having resolved upon it with the mind, and speaks falsehood with the tongue — sinful action is thus of three kinds. **2.101.22** bhūmiḥ kīrtir yaśo lakṣmīḥ puruṣaṃ prārthayanti hi svargasthaṃ cānubadhnanti satyam eva bhajeta tat Land, renown, glory, and fortune court a man, and attend him even when he is in heaven — (they wait upon) truth alone; therefore let one cleave to it. **2.101.23** śreṣṭhaṃ hy anāryam eva syād yad bhavān avadhārya mām āha yuktikarair vākyair idaṃ bhadraṃ kuruṣva ha For that counsel which you, having taken my measure, pressed upon me with seemingly cogent words — 'do this, it is for your good!' — however excellent it may look, would in truth be ignoble. **2.101.24** kathaṃ hy ahaṃ pratijñāya vanavāsam imaṃ guroḥ bharatasya kariṣyāmi vaco hitvā guror vacaḥ How, having promised my father this dwelling in the forest, could I do Bharata's bidding and cast aside my father's word? **2.101.25** sthirā mayā pratijñātā pratijñā gurusaṃnidhau prahṛṣṭamānasā devī kaikeyī cābhavat tadā A firm vow was pledged by me in my father's presence, and thereupon Queen Kaikeyī became glad at heart. **2.101.26** vanavāsaṃ vasann evaṃ śucir niyatabhojanaḥ mūlaiḥ puṣpaiḥ phalaiḥ puṇyaiḥ pitṝn devāṃś ca tarpayan Dwelling thus in forest exile, pure and of restrained diet, gratifying the ancestors and gods with roots, flowers, and holy fruits, **2.101.27** saṃtuṣṭapañcavargo 'haṃ lokayātrāṃ pravartaye akuhaḥ śraddadhānaḥ san kāryākāryavicakṣaṇaḥ with my five senses contented, guileless, faithful, and discerning between what should and should not be done, I shall carry on the business of life. **2.101.28** karmabhūmim imāṃ prāpya kartavyaṃ karma yac chubham agnir vāyuś ca somaś ca karmaṇāṃ phalabhāginaḥ Having attained this land of (ritual) action, one should perform whatever deed is auspicious; Agni, Vāyu, and Soma partake of the fruits of men's rites. **2.101.29** śataṃ kratūnām āhṛtya devarāṭ tridivaṃ gataḥ tapāṃsy ugrāṇi cāsthāya divaṃ yātā maharṣayaḥ Having performed a hundred sacrifices, the king of the gods (Indra) attained heaven; and by undertaking fierce austerities the great seers went to heaven. **2.101.30** satyaṃ ca dharmaṃ ca parākramaṃ ca bhūtānukampāṃ priyavāditāṃ ca dvijātidevātithipūjanaṃ ca panthānam āhus tridivasya santaḥ Truth, righteousness, and valour; compassion for living beings and kindly speech; and the honouring of brahmins, gods, and guests — these the good declare to be the path to heaven. **2.101.31** dharme ratāḥ satpuruṣaiḥ sametās tejasvino dānaguṇapradhānāḥ ahiṃsakā vītamalāś ca loke bhavanti pūjyā munayaḥ pradhānāḥ Devoted to dharma, keeping company with the good, full of splendour, preeminent in the virtue of giving, harmless and free of all impurity — such foremost sages become worthy of worship in the world.