Canto 2 -
Ayodhyā-kāṇḍa
Chapter 109: Rāma Refutes Jābāli
Text 2.109.8
कस्य धास्याम्यहं वृत्तं केन वा स्वर्गमाप्नुयाम्।
अनया वर्तमानो हि वृत्त्या हीनप्रतिज्ञया॥
kasya dhāsyāmy ahaṁ vṛttaṁ kena vā svargam āpnuyām
anayā vartamāno hi vṛttyā hīna-pratijñayā
kasya = whom; dhāsyāmi = should instruct; aham = I; vṛttam = to follow this conduct; kena = how; vā = and; svargam = the heavens; āpnuyām = can I attain; anayā = this; vartamānaḥ hi = following; vṛttyā = conduct; hīna-pratijñayā = with no consideration of My promise to reside in the forest.
Following this conduct with no consideration of My promise to reside in the forest, whom should I instruct to follow this conduct and how can I attain the heavens?
Rāma asserts here, “Not only will I lose honor, I will also lose a superior destination in My afterlife.”
“This conduct” refers to following Jābāli’s advice in text 2.108.17: “Set aside that which cannot be directly perceived.”
In some manuscripts, dāsyāmi appears instead of dhāsyāmi [but there is no difference in the meaning].