Canto 2 -
Ayodhyā-kāṇḍa
Chapter 58: Sumantra Conveys the Message of Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa
Text 2.58.33
सर्वप्रजाभिरामं हि रामं प्रव्राज्य धार्मिकम्।
सर्वलोकं विरुद्ध्येमं कथं राजा भविष्यसि॥
sarva-prajābhirāmaṁ hi rāmaṁ pravrājya dhārmikam
sarva-lokaṁ viruddhyemaṁ kathaṁ rājā bhaviṣyasi
sarva-prajā-abhirāmam hi = who is most pleasing to every citizen of the kingdom; rāmam = Rāma; pravrājya = having exiled; dhārmikam = dhārmika; sarva-lokam = the entire world; viruddhya = having opposed; imam = this; katham = how; rājā = as the king; bhaviṣyasi = will you stay.
“Having exiled this dhārmika Rāma who is most pleasing to every citizen of the kingdom, having opposed the entire world, how will you stay as the king?”
This elaborates on the [nature of Daśaratha’s] cruel activity.
Lakṣmaṇa spoke up to this. He wanted Sumantra to convey this to the king. Though we don’t come across these statements of Lakṣmaṇa and Rāma in the description of Them sending Sumantra away [to Ayodhyā], it should be understood that they were factually made by Them at that time and that they were repeated [by Sumantra now].