अनेन धर्मशीलेन वनात्प्रत्यागतः पुनः।
भ्रात्रा सह भविष्यामि पृथिव्याः पतिरुत्तमः॥
anena dharma-śīlena vanāt pratyāgataḥ punaḥ
bhrātrā saha bhaviṣyāmi pṛthivyāḥ patir uttamaḥ
anena = with this; dharma-śīlena = who is dhārmika in character; vanāt = from the forest; pratyāgataḥ punaḥ = after I return; bhrātrā saha = brother of Mine; bhaviṣyāmi = I will become; pṛthivyāḥ = of earth; patiḥ = ruler; uttamaḥ = the ultimate.
After I return from the forest, I will become the ultimate ruler of earth with this brother of Mine who is dhārmika in character.1
1 Bharata wanted Rāmacandra to return to Ayodhyā and accept the throne immediately, but Rāmacandra didn’t want to break dharma for that purpose. After much discussion and debate, Rāmacandra has finally agreed to become the king of Ayodhyā after fourteen years. So Bharata has finally succeeded in His mission, at least to some degree.
1 Lecture on Bhagavad-gītā 1.23 given on 19 July 1973 in London.
2 “As will be explained later” means “as will be explained later in the Bhagavad-gītā in texts 4.13 and so on.” The four orders and the four statuses of social life that Prabhupāda refers to here is nothing but varṇāśrama-dharma.
NOTE. From the beginning to its end, the Rāmāyaṇa repeatedly talks about dharma. What is this dharma? Prabhupāda has noted that it is nothing but obedience to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.1
The Supreme Lord’s instructions are found in the Vedic scriptures and simply being obedient to Him makes one dhārmika. There are various levels of such dhārmika persons: karmīs interested in attaining piety in their current lives and wealth and enjoyment in their next lives, jñānīs interested in realizing the impersonal Brahman effulgence of Bhagavān, yogīs interested in realizing the Paramātmā form of Bhagavān and bhaktas interested in realizing Bhagavān Himself in His original form of Kṛṣṇa or His expansions such as Rāma, Nṛsiṁha, Nārāyaṇa and so on through pure loving service to Him. But all of them are serious about staying within the boundaries of Vedic dharma because they are dedicated to being obedient to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Prabhupāda notes:
The principles of the Bhagavad-gītā were spoken to Arjuna and, for that matter, to other highly elevated persons because they were highly advanced compared to ordinary persons in other parts of the world. Two plus two equals four is a mathematical principle that is true in the beginner’s arithmetic class and in the advanced class as well. Still, there are higher and lower mathematics. In all incarnations of the Lord, therefore, the same principles are taught, but they appear to be higher and lower in varied circumstances. The higher principles of religion begin with the acceptance of the four orders and the four statuses of social life, as will be explained later.2 The whole purpose of the mission of incarnations is to arouse Kṛṣṇa consciousness everywhere. Such consciousness is manifest and nonmanifest only under different circumstances. (Bhagavad-gītā 4.7 purport)