धर्मार्थकामाः किल तात लोके समीक्षिता धर्मफलोदयेषु।
ते तत्र सर्वे स्युरसंशयं मे भार्येव वश्याभिमता सुपुत्रा॥
dharmārtha-kāmāḥ kila tāta loke
samīkṣitā dharma-phalodayeṣu
te tatra sarve syur asaṁśayaṁ me
bhāryeva vaśyābhimatā suputrā
dharma-artha-kāmāḥ = dharma, artha and kāma; kila = it is well known that; tāta = dear Lakṣmaṇa; loke = in this world; samīkṣitāḥ = are understood through the scriptures and so on; dharma-phala-udayeṣu = to be the means of attaining the results of dharma; te = of them; tatra = those results; sarve = all; syuḥ = yield; asaṁśayam me = I have no doubt that; bhāryā = a wife; iva = like; vaśyā = and pleasing; abhimatā = favorable; suputrā = who gives birth to good sons.
Dear Lakṣmaṇa, it is well known in this world that dharma, artha and kāma are understood through the scriptures and so on to be the means of attaining the results of dharma.1 I have no doubt that all of them yield those results like a favorable and pleasing wife who gives birth to good sons.
1 The results of dharma in this world are enhanced artha and kāma, unenhanced version of which can be attained by pursuing them directly. Therefore the pursuits of dharma, artha and kāma can be fulfilled by pursuing dharma alone. This is the point.
1 He is talking about happiness in material existence.
2 The artha and kāma generated from dharma is vastly superior to artha and kāma obtained directly. This is what it means: There are two ways to attain worldly prosperity and sensual enjoyment. One way is to just do whatever we can in this very life to become wealthy and enjoy life. Another way is to set aside the pursuit of becoming wealthy and enjoying life in this lifetime, focus on earning pious credits in this life by engaging in the activities of dharma alone in this life and attain enhanced worldly prosperity and sensual enjoyment in the next life.
3 Which the husband shares in. Satyavān got his life back simply because of Sāvitrī’s pious credits!
4 In the varṇāśrama system, sons who reach adulthood have to take full responsibility to financially maintain and take care of their parents for the rest of their lives. The sons cannot leave their parents at any point in their lives—there is no question of sweetly dumping them into an old age home as is the demoniac custom of the day in many households. Nor can the adolescent sons just hit the road to “stand on their own feet.” All the money earned by the son also automatically belongs to his parents in the varṇāśrama system and hence have to be handed over to them to avoid being considered a thief by Citragupta and team. Of course, it is implicit that all members of the family function within the bounds of Vedic dharma though they may not be engaged or interested in pure devotional service to the Supreme Lord.
5 This will be clarified in the next verse.
Here Lord Rāma elaborates on what He had summarized in text 42.
Tāta indicates that Lord Rāma is consoling Lakṣmaṇa here. Loke (“in this world”) indicates that He is not talking about mokṣa here.1 Dharma, artha and kāma have been ascertained to be the means of attaining the different kinds of material happiness that are [in fact] the results of dharma. Dharma, artha and kāma can all be attained through [engagement in the] activities of dharma [alone]. When we carry out dharma alone, all of the three human goals producing abundant material happiness become enhanced.2
An example to illustrate this principle: When a wife is submissive, that is, favorable [to engage in the activities of dharma], she generates pious credits (dharma).3 When she is pleasing to him, she produces sensual satisfaction (kāma). When she gives him good sons, she gives wealth (artha), for the wealth of a man attains perfection when he has a son with auspicious characteristics and benefic astrological influences.4
Therefore, [the practice of] dharma is the root cause of attaining dharma or piety, artha or prosperity and kāma or pleasurable garlands, sandalwood pulp, women and so on. Therefore, one should take full shelter of dharma alone [in this world].5