Canto 2 -
Ayodhyā-kāṇḍa
Chapter 81: Vasiṣṭha Summons Bharata
Text 2.81.7
यो हि नः सुमहान्नाथः सोऽपि प्रव्राजितो वनम्।
अनया धर्ममुत्सृज्य मात्रा मे राघवः स्वयम्॥
yo hi naḥ sumahān nāthaḥ so ’pi pravrājito vanam
anayā dharmam utsṛjya mātrā me rāghavaḥ svayam
yaḥ hi1 naḥ = our; sumahān = very great; nāthaḥ = master; saḥ api pravrājitaḥ = has also been exiled; vanam = to the forest; anayā = by this; dharmam = dharma; utsṛjya = after she gave up; mātrā = mother; me = of Mine; rāghavaḥ = Rāghava; svayam = Himself.
And our very great master Rāghava Himself has been exiled to the forest by this mother of Mine after she gave up dharma.
1 Technical note: yaḥ hi naḥ nāthaḥ.
NOTE. By identifying Rāmacandra as everyone’s very great master, Bharata has revealed the attitude of a pure devotee of the Supreme Lord. Prabhupāda explains this attitude thus:
Because in Vedic literature there are recommendations for worshiping different gods for different purposes (e.g., a diseased man is recommended to worship the sun), those who are not devotees of the Lord think that for certain purposes demigods are better than the Supreme Lord. But a pure devotee knows that the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa is the master of all. In the Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Ādi 5.142) it is said, ekale īśvara kṛṣṇa, āra saba bhṛtya: only the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, is master, and all others are servants. Therefore a pure devotee never goes to demigods for satisfaction of his material needs. He depends on the Supreme Lord. And the pure devotee is satisfied with whatever He gives. (Bhagavad-gītā 7.20 purport)