Dharma
Goswami Tulsidas teaches dharma through choices that demand sacrifice. Shri Ram accepts fourteen years of exile, while Bharat refuses the throne and seeks Him at Chitrakoot. Their conduct places duty above personal advantage. For example, a shopkeeper may discover that a customer has paid twice. Keeping the money would be easy, especially when business is slow. Returning it gives honesty precedence over gain. Similarly, we practise dharma by doing what is right when another choice would benefit us.
सचिव बैद गुर तीनि जौं प्रिय बोलहिं भय आस। राज धर्म तन तीनि कर होइ बेगिहीं नास॥३७॥
When a minister, a physician, a religious preceptor—these three use pleasing words out of fear or hope of reward, the result is that dominion, health and virtue—all the three, respectively, go to ruin forthwith. (37)
Sunderkand, Doha 37काम क्रोध मद लोभ सब नाथ नरक के पंथ। सब परिहरि रघुबीरहि भजहु भजहिं जेहि संत॥३८॥
“Lust, anger, vanity and covetousness are all paths leading to hell. Abjuring all these adore Śrī Rāma, whom saints worship. (38)
Sunderkand, Doha 38मुखिआ मुखु सो चाहिऐ खान पान कहुँ एक। पालइ पोषइ सकल अँग तुलसी सहित बिबेक॥३१५॥
“A chief should be like the mouth, which alone does all the eating and drinking but supports and nourishes all the other limbs with discretion”—says Tulasīdāsa. (315)
Ayodhya Kand, Doha 315सगुन उपासक परहित निरत नीति दृढ़ नेम। ते नर प्रान समान मम जिन्ह कें द्विज पद प्रेम॥४८॥
“Those men, who worship My manifested (Saguṇa-Sākāra) form, are intent on doing good to others, firmly tread the path of righteousness, and are steadfast in their vow and devoted to the feet of the Brāhmaṇas, are dear to Me as life. (48)
Sunderkand, Doha 48मातु पिता गुरु स्वामि सिख सिर धरि करहिं सुभायँ। लहेउ लाभु तिन्ह जनम कर नतरु जनमु जग जायँ॥७०॥
“Those who reverently and unconstrainedly follow the advice of their father and mother, preceptor and master have reaped the fruit of their birth or else their coming into this world has been in vain. (70)
Ayodhya Kand, Doha 70सहज सुहृद गुर स्वामि सिख जो न करइ सिर मानि। सो पछिताइ अघाइ उर अवसि होइ हित हानि॥६३॥
“He who does not reverently follow the advice of a selfless friend, preceptor and master has to repent fully at heart and surely comes to grief.” (63)
Ayodhya Kand, Doha 63सोचिअ गृही जो मोह बस करइ करम पथ त्याग। सोचिअ जती प्रपंच रत बिगत बिबेक बिराग॥१७२॥
“Nay, pitiable is the householder, who out of ignorance forsakes the path of duty; and pitiable the recluse, who is attached to the world and lacks discretion and dispassion. (172)
Ayodhya Kand, Doha 172अनुचित उचित बिचारु तजि जे पालहिं पितु बैन। ते भाजन सुख सुजस के बसहिं अमरपति ऐन॥१७४॥
“Those who cherish their father’s word, caring not whether it is reasonable or otherwise, attain happiness and fair renown and dwell in the abode of Indra (the lord of immortals).(174)
Ayodhya Kand, Doha 174असुर मारि थापहिं सुरन्ह राखहिं निज श्रुति सेतु। जग बिस्तारहिं बिसद जस राम जन्म कर हेतु॥१२१॥
“Killing the demons, He reinstates the gods, preserves the bounds of propriety fixed by the Vedas, which represent His own breath, and spreads His immaculate glory throughout the world; this is the motive of Śrī Rāma’s descent. (121)
Bal Kand, Doha 121सुनहु तात माया कृत गुन अरु दोष अनेक। गुन यह उभय न देखिअहिं देखिअ सो अबिबेक॥४१॥
“Listen, dear brother, the numerous merits and demerits are all products of Māyā. The greatest merit is that one should cease to see them; to discern them is ignorance.” (41)
Uttar Kand, Doha 41फल भारन नमि बिटप सब रहे भूमि निअराइ। पर उपकारी पुरुष जिमि नवहिं सुसंपति पाइ॥४०॥
Weighed down with the load of their fruits, all the fruit trees well-nigh touched the ground, even as benevolent persons grow all the more humble on getting a large fortune.(40)
Aranya Kand, Doha 40जड़ चेतन गुन दोषमय बिस्व कीन्ह करतार। संत हंस गुन गहहिं पय परिहरि बारि बिकार॥६॥
God has created the universe consisting of animate and inanimate beings as partaking of both good and evil; swans† in the form of saints imbibe the milk of goodness, rejecting water in the form of evil. (6) † The swan is traditionally believed to feed on pearls and credited with the natural gift of separating milk from water.
Bal Kand, Doha 6
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