Canto 2 -
Ayodhyā-kāṇḍa
Chapter 34: Rāma, Lakṣmaṇa and Sītā Meet Daśaratha
Text 2.34.9
स सत्यवादी धर्मात्मा गांभीर्यात्सागरोपमः।
आकाश इव निष्पङ्को नरेन्द्र प्रत्युवाच तम्॥
sa satyavādī dharmātmā gāmbhīryāt sāgaropamaḥ
ākāśa iva niṣpaṅko narendraḥ pratyuvāca tam
saḥ satyavādī = always spoke the truth; dharma-ātmā = he was devoted to dharma; gāmbhīryāt = because of his gravity; sāgara-upamaḥ = he was like the ocean; ākāśaḥ = the sky; iva = like; niṣpaṅkaḥ = and stainless; nara-indraḥ = King Daśaratha; pratyuvāca = he replied [as follows]; tam = to Sumantra.
King Daśaratha always spoke the truth. He was devoted to dharma. He was like the ocean because of his gravity and stainless like the sky. He replied to Sumantra [as follows].