Canto 2 -
Ayodhyā-kāṇḍa
Chapter 53: Rāma Requests Lakṣmaṇa to Return to Ayodhyā
Text 2.53.26
अधर्मभयभीतश्च परलोकस्य चानघ।
तेन लक्ष्मण नाद्याहमात्मानमभिषेचये॥
adharma-bhaya-bhītaś ca para-lokasya cānagha
tena lakṣmaṇa nādyāham ātmānam abhiṣecaye
adharma-bhaya-bhītaḥ ca = I am afraid of the danger caused by adharma; para-lokasya = the destruction of a superior destination in the next life; ca = and; anagha = sinless; tena = therefore; lakṣmaṇa = Lakṣmaṇa; na = not; adya = today; aham = I have; ātmānam = Myself; abhiṣecaye = coronated.
Sinless Lakṣmaṇa, I am afraid of the danger caused by adharma and the destruction of a superior destination in the next life. Therefore I have not coronated Myself today.
The danger caused by adharma is public criticism.
GLOSS. Adharma-bhaya-bhītaḥ indicates that Rāma was afraid that if He did not carry out His father’s instructions, everyone would do so and they would attain adharma [in the form of sinful reactions]. Thus Rāma was afraid of the danger that people would face when people attain sinful reactions. Para-lokasya ca indicates that He was more frightened than others, that is, He was afraid of the public criticism, “Rāma disobeyed the order of His father.”