Canto 1 - Boyhood
Bāla-kāṇḍa
Chapter 1: Contents of the Rāmāyaṇa Summarized
Text 1.1.23
स जगाम वनं वीरः प्रतिज्ञामनुपालयन्।
पितुर्वचननिर्देशात्कैकेय्याः प्रियकारणात्॥
sa jagāma vanaṁ vīraḥ pratijñām anupālayan
pitur vacana-nirdeśāt kaikeyyāḥ priya-kāraṇāt
saḥ = Rāma; jagāma = and went; vanam = to the forest; vīraḥ = though a hero; pratijñām = His promise; anupālayan = upheld; pituḥ = despite his father; vacana-nirdeśāt = order; kaikeyyāḥ = Kaikeyī; priya-kāraṇāt = to please.
Rāma, though a hero, despite his father’s order to please Kaikeyī, upheld His promise and went to the forest.
[37] ājñāyām api nirdeśaḥ.
1 It is implicit that one should obey the instructions of one’s father as long as they are in line with the teachings and conclusions of Vedic dharma, not otherwise. This will become explicit while we go through the Rāmāyaṇa.
Nārada Muni wants to point out that in accordance with the behavior of Lord Rāma, one should certainly abide by the instructions of one’s father.³²
Even though Rāmacandra was a hero, that is, capable of ruling the kingdom, and even though his father had ordered Him while under the control of a woman, Kaikeyī, Rāma upheld the promise He had made to Kaikeyī.
[In the next Canto,] Rāma will promise Kaikeyī:
tad brūhi vacanaṁ devi rājño yad abhikāṅkṣitam
kariṣye pratijāne ca rāmo dvir nābhibhāṣate
“O queen, tell Me what the king wants. I will execute those instructions and I promise you so. Rāma does not take back what He has spoken.” (Rāmāyaṇa 2.18.30)
So, in order to uphold His promise and His father’s promise, He went to Daṇḍakāraṇya.
The word nirdeśa in this verse means “order” according to Bāṇa [37].