Canto 2 -
Ayodhyā-kāṇḍa
Chapter 1: Daśaratha Desires to Appoint Rāma as the Crown Prince
Text 2.1.5
सर्व एव तु तस्येष्टाश्चत्वारः पुरुषर्षभाः।
स्वशरीराद्विनिर्वृत्ताश्चत्वार इव बाहवः॥
sarva eva tu tasyeṣṭāś catvāraḥ puruṣa-rṣabhāḥ
sva-śarīrād vinirvṛttāś catvāra iva bāhavaḥ
sarve eva = all; tu = but; tasya = to him; iṣṭāḥ = were dear; catvāraḥ = of the four; puruṣa-ṛṣabhāḥ = princes; sva-śarīrāt = out of one’s body; vinirvṛttāḥ = born; catvāraḥ = four; iva = like; bāhavaḥ = arms.
But all of the four princes were dear to him like four arms born out of one’s body.
One might wonder how it was possible for Daśaratha to remember Bharata and Śatrughna while he was in the presence of Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa. This verse answers that question.
The Supreme Person was present in four forms.1 All of Them, without exception, were dear to Daśaratha. Just as, in this world, if a person has four arms, none of them is displeasing to him.2 Similarly, none of four sons was undesirable to Daśaratha. “Out of one’s body” refers to the arms in the example [and not to Rāma and His three brothers]. It was just the king’s conception that They had taken birth from his body. [They had not factually taken birth from Daśaratha.]
1. Puruṣa-rṣabhāḥ can simply mean “the best of men” which conventionally refers to princes, or it can refer to the Supreme Personalities. Thus the four sons of Daśaratha were referred to in both ways.
2. Some demigods are described as having four or more arms.