Canto 2 -
Ayodhyā-kāṇḍa
Chapter 78: Śatrughna Punishes Mantharā
Text 2.78.2
गतिर्यः सर्वभूतानां दुःखे किं पुनरात्मनः।
स रामः सत्त्वसंपन्नः स्त्रिया प्रव्राजितो वनम्॥
gatir yaḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ duḥkhe kiṁ punar ātmanaḥ
sa rāmaḥ sattva-sampannaḥ striyā pravrājito vanam
gatiḥ = is the shelter; yaḥ = He; sarva-bhūtānām = of every creature; duḥkhe = in distress; kim punaḥ = what to speak; ātmanaḥ = of Himself; saḥ = and though He; rāmaḥ = Rāma; sattva-sampannaḥ = is endowed with [sufficient] strength; striyā = by a mere woman; pravrājitaḥ = has been banished; vanam = to the forest.
Rāma is the shelter of every creature in distress, what to speak of Himself and though He is endowed with [sufficient] strength, He has been banished to the forest by a mere woman!
“Rāma is the shelter of every creature in distress” indicates that Rāma was capable of delivering every creature from a distressful situation, what to speak of Him delivering Himself [from a distressful situation].
Śatrughna implies that that Rāma could be banished to the forest by a mere woman is extremely astonishing.
[Bharata might reply,] “Rāma was dependent on His father. So what could He do?” Anticipating this, Śatrughna speaks as follows.