स सर्वैः सचिवैः सार्धं विभीषणपुरोगमैः।
मन्त्रयित्वा तु धर्मिष्ठैः कृत्वा निश्चयमात्मनः॥
दोषाणां च गुणानां च सम्प्रधार्य बलाबलम्।
आत्मनश्च बलं ज्ञात्वा राघवस्य च तत्त्वतः।
हिताहितं विनिश्चित्य क्षमं त्वं कर्तुमर्हसि॥
sa sarvaiḥ sacivaiḥ sārdhaṁ vibhīṣaṇa-purogamaiḥ
mantrayitvā tu dharmiṣṭhaiḥ kṛtvā niścayam ātmanaḥ
doṣāṇāṁ ca guṇānāṁ ca sampradhārya balābalam
ātmanaś ca balaṁ jñātvā rāghavasya ca tattvataḥ
hitāhitaṁ viniścitya kṣamaṁ tvaṁ kartum arhasi
saḥ1 sarvaiḥ = all; sacivaiḥ = [of your] assistants; sārdham = with; vibhīṣaṇa-purogamaiḥ = headed by Vibhīṣaṇa; mantrayitvā tu = should consult; dharmiṣṭhaiḥ = who are fixed in dharma; kṛtvā niścayam = steady; ātmanaḥ = [your] mind; doṣāṇām = inauspicious activities [respectively]; ca = and; guṇānām ca = of auspicious; sampradhārya = properly understand; bala-abalam = the strengths and weaknesses ; ātmanaḥ = yours; ca = and; balam = strengths; jñātvā = understand; rāghavasya ca = Rāghava’s; tattvataḥ = factually; hita-ahitam = what is beneficial and what is harmful; viniścitya = ascertain; kṣamam = that which is right; tvam = you; kartum arhasi = and do.
You should consult with all [of your] assistants headed by Vibhīṣaṇa who are fixed in dharma, steady [your] mind, properly understand the strengths and weaknesses of auspicious and inauspicious activities [respectively], factually understand yours and Rāghava’s strengths, ascertain what is beneficial and what is harmful, and do that which is right.1
1 Rāmāyaṇa-bhūṣaṇa: saḥ tvam ity anvayaḥ.
1 Rāmāyaṇa-bhūṣaṇa: kṣamaṁ sādhu. Technical note: ātmanaḥ sva-manasaḥ niścayam cāñcalya-rāhityaṁ kṛtvā, doṣāṇāṁ duṣṭācaraṇānāṁ guṇānāṁ śobhanācaraṇānāṁ ca balābalaṁ ca sampradhārya samyag jñātvā ātmano rāghavasya ca balaṁ jñātvā.
1 The quote is from Prabhupāda’s purport to Bhagavad-gītā 4.7. Following dharma doesn’t refer to being stuck in materialistic existence. Vedic dharma has three levels: karma-dharma, jñāna-dharma and bhakti-dharma. As explained by Śrila Rāmānujācārya and Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, the Vedic process is to guide the conditioned souls to first avoid adharma and function on the platform of karma-dharma, and after the attainment of spiritual knowledge, understanding and realization as well as internal detachment and external renunciation, he comes to the platform of jñāna-dharma and after he becomes delighted in devotion to the Supreme Lord, he comes to the platform of bhakti-dharma. Then he can become a pure bhagavad-bhakta in sādhana, bhāva and then prema, the highest goal of existence. So being engaged in dharma means moving along in this track, not being stuck on a particular platform, just as studying in a school means moving along each educational year, not being stuck in a particular educational year. In fact, to not be promoted in school is itself a failure. Similarly, to not progress from karma-dharma to jñāna-dharma to bhakti-dharma, and then progress from sādhana to bhāva to prema is itself a failure on the part of the conditioned soul who has been given the opportunity and guidance to do so. It should be noted that karma-dharma includes the elements of jñāna-dharma and bhakti-dharma (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.11.8-12), and jñāna-dharma includes the elements of bhakti-dharma (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.28). Those who are extremely fortunate are given the opportunity to immediately avoid adharma and directly and indirectly engage in bhakti-dharma. The propaganda to immediately give up adharma and engage in bhakti-dharma is characteristic of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s movement.
NOTE. Mārīca’s advice to Rāvaṇa that he consult Vibhīṣaṇa and others engaged in Vedic dharma is significant for “the Vedic principles push one towards complete surrender” unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead.1
In his purport to Bhagavad-gītā 13.24, Prabhupāda writes that one requires the association of saintly persons and a bona fide spiritual master to come out of ignorance in material existence:
Clear understanding of material nature, the Supersoul, the individual soul and their interrelation makes one eligible to become liberated and turn to the spiritual atmosphere without being forced to return to this material nature. This is the result of knowledge. The purpose of knowledge is to understand distinctly that the living entity has by chance fallen into this material existence. By his personal endeavor in association with authorities, saintly persons and a spiritual master, he has to understand his position and then revert to spiritual consciousness or Kṛṣṇa consciousness by understanding Bhagavad-gītā as it is explained by the Personality of Godhead. Then it is certain that he will never come again into this material existence; he will be transferred into the spiritual world for a blissful eternal life of knowledge.