All 50 Uses of

righteous

in

The Ramayana

Strong hate may vile Kaikeyí lead To many a base unrighteous deed, Treading my mother 'neath her feet When Bharat holds the royal seat.†
Book 2

unrighteous = morally wrong

standard prefix: The prefix "un-" in unrighteous means not and reverses the meaning of righteous. This is the same pattern you see in words like unhappy, unknown, and unlucky.

The high-souled hero, wont to wear The costliest robes exceeding fair, Now banished, in a deerskin dress, Here keeps the path of righteousness.†
Book 2

righteousness = morally correct behavior

I took thee not for treacherous fire, A sinner clad in saint's attire; Nor deemed thou idly wouldst profess The show and garb of righteousness.†
Book 4

We now, as Bharat has decreed, Let justice guide our every deed, And toil each sinner to repress Who scorns the way of righteousness.†
Book 4 *

There reigned a king of name revered, To country and to town endeared, Great Dasaratha, good and sage, Well read in Scripture's holy page: Upon his kingdom's weal intent, Mighty and brave and provident; The pride of old Ikshváku's seed For lofty thought and righteous deed.†
Book 1

ha led, Gave praises to the king, and said: "The sons thou cravest shalt thou see, Of fairest glory, born to thee, Whose holy feelings bid thee take This righteous course for offspring's sake."†
Book 1

If thou would do the righteous deed, And win high fame, thy virtue's meed, Fame that on earth shall last and live, To me, great King, thy Ráma give.†
Book 1

well done," with reverence cried; "The mighty men of Kusa's seed Were ever famed for righteous deed.†
Book 1

Unnumbered rites to Heaven I paid, With righteous care the sceptre swayed; And holy priest and high-souled guide My modest conduct gratified.†
Book 1

Their answer when the arch-hermit heard, His tranquil eyes with rage were blurred; Great fury in his bosom woke, And thus unto the youths he spoke: "Me, blameless me they dare to blame, And disallow the righteous claim My fierce austerities have earned: To ashes be the sinners turned.†
Book 1

Those offered boons, pledged with thee then, I now demand, O King of men, Of thee, O Monarch, good and just, Whose righteous soul observes each trust.†
Book 2

And can thy righteous soul endure That Ráma glorious, pious, pure, Should to the distant wilds be sent For fourteen years of banishment?†
Book 2

The righteous deem That truth, mid duties, is supreme: And now in truth and honour's name I bid thee own the binding claim.†
Book 2

Now to preserve thy righteous fame, And yielding to my earnest claim— Thrice I repeat it—send thy child, Thy Ráma, to the forest wild.†
Book 2

From faith, as well the righteous know, Our virtue and our merits flow.†
Book 2

With thee, O Queen, the care must rest That Bharat hear his sire's behest, And guard the land with righteous sway, For such the law that lives for aye.†
Book 2

With his sweet voice the hero spoke Saluting all the gathered folk, Then righteous-souled and great in fame Close to his mother's house he came.†
Book 2

"(288) Thus spake the queen, and wept, and sighed: Then righteous Ráma thus replied: "I have no power to slight or break Commandments which my father spake.†
Book 2

Nor I, O Queen, unsanctioned tread This righteous path, by duty led: The road my footsteps journey o'er Was traversed by the great of yore.†
Book 2

But when Kausalyásaw that he Resolved to keep his sire's decree, While tears and sobs her utterance broke, Her very righteous speech she spoke: "Can he, a stranger yet to pain, Whose pleasant words all hearts enchain, Son of the king and me the queen, Live on the grain his hands may glean; Can he, whose slaves and menials eat The finest cakes of sifted wheat— Can Ráma in the forest live On roots and fruit which woodlands give; Who will believe, who will not fear When the sad story smites his ear, That one so dear, so noble held, Is by the king his sire expelled?†
Book 2

Sagar, the righteous path who held, His wicked offspring thus expelled.†
Book 2

From this good law the just ne'er swerve, That younger sons the eldest serve, And to this righteous rule incline All children of thine ancient line— Freely to give, reward each rite, Nor spare their bodies in the fight.†
Book 2

Sumitrá who to duty clave, In righteous words this answer gave: "Dear Queen, all noble virtues grace Thy son, of men the first in place.†
Book 2

He to the path of duty clings Which lordly fruit hereafter brings— The path to which the righteous cleave— For him, dear Queen, thou shouldst not grieve.†
Book 2

In righteous wrath my single arm Could, with my bow, protect from harm Ayodhyá's town and all the earth: But what is hero prowess worth?†
Book 2

Thou art not Asvapati's child, That righteous king most sage and mild, But thou wast born a fiend, a foe My father's house to overthrow.†
Book 2

That righteous speech, whose every word Bore virtue's stamp, the audience heard; On Ráma every thought was set, And with glad tears each eye was wet.†
Book 2

The righteous sovereign, who should be Lord paramount from sea to sea, High-minded, born to lofty fate, Like Brahmá's self supremely great; With Lakshma?†
Book 2

The righteous monarch's honoured will, Whom all revered, must guide thee still, And thou must still enjoy the share Assigned thee by our father's care.†
Book 2

As slowly sense and strength he gained, Fast from his eyes the tears he rained, And then in accents sad and weak Kakutstha's son began to speak, And mourning for the monarch dead, With righteous words to Bharat said: "What calls me home, when he, alas, Has gone the way which all must pass?†
Book 2

Return, O best of men, and be Obedient to our sire's decree, While I with every care fulfil Our holy father's righteous will, Observing in the lonely wood His charge approved by all the good.†
Book 2

Thus Ráma of the lofty mind To Bharat spoke his righteous speech, By every argument designed Obedience to his sire to teach.†
Book 2

Whither could I, the sinner, turn, How hope a seat in heaven to earn, If I my plighted promise break, And thus the righteous path forsake?†
Book 2

Thus Ráma spoke in righteous rage Jáváli's speech to chide, When thus again the virtuous sage In truthful words replied: "The atheist's lore I use no more, Not mine his impious creed: His words and doctrine I abhor, Assumed at time of need.†
Book 2

When thus Kálindí, fairest dame With reverent supplication came, To her the holy sage replied: "O royal lady, from thy side A glorious son shall spring ere long, Righteous and true and brave and strong; He, scourge of foes and lofty-souled, His ancient race shall still uphold."†
Book 2

See, with the chiefs of every guild And all thy friends, this place is filled: All these, as duty bids, protect; So still the righteous path respect.†
Book 2

Then the great sages, longing all To see the ten-necked tyrant(395) fall, To Bharat, bravest of the brave, Their salutary counsel gave: "O thou of lofty lineage born, Whom wisdom, conduct, fame adorn, Thou for thy honoured father's sake Shouldst Ráma's righteous counsel take.†
Book 2

Were he the meanest of the base, Unhonoured with a single grace, My husband still I ne'er would leave, But firm through all to him would cleave: Still rather to a lord like mine Whose virtues high-exalted shine, Compassionate, of lofty soul, With every sense in due control, True in his love, of righteous mind, Like a dear sire and mother kind.†
Book 2

'Tis like thyself, O fair of face, 'Tis worthy of thy noble race: Dearer than life, thy feet are set In righteous paths they ne'er forget.†
Book 3

by his side, And thus in words of transport cried: "The counselor we now behold Of King Sugríva righteous-souled.†
Book 4

He spoke, and from his ocean bed The righteous(567) monarch heaved his head, And gave, sedate, his calm reply To him whom fate impelled to die: "Not mine, not mine the power," he cried, "To cope with thee in battle tried; But listen to my voice, and seek The worthier foe of whom I speak.†
Book 4

He spoke: Himálaya, skilled in lore Of eloquence, replied once more, And, angered in his righteous mind, Addressed the chief of demon kind: "The Vánar Báli, brave and wise, Son of the God who rules the skies,(570) Sways, glorious in his high renown, Kishkindhá his imperial town.†
Book 4

There Báli lay, a dim dark sun, His course of light and glory run: Or like the bed of Ocean dried Of his broad floods from side to side, Or helpless, as the dying fire, Hushed his last words of righteous ire.†
Book 4

There was no hope of pardon, none, For the vile deed that thou hast done, That wisest monarch dooms to die The wretch whose crimes the law defy; And we, chastising those who err, His righteous doom administer.†
Book 4

By honour was I bound to lend Assistance to a faithful friend; And thou hast met a righteous fate Thy former sins to expiate.†
Book 4

For hear me, Vánar King, rehearse What Manu(597) spake in ancient verse,— This holy law, which all accept Who honour duty, have I kept: "Pure grow the sinners kings chastise, And, like the virtuous, gain the skies; By pain or full atonement freed, They reap the fruit of righteous deed, While kings who punish not incur The penalties of those who err."†
Book 4

This answered, to Sugríva then Thus spake anew the king of men: "Do thou who knowest right ordain Prince Angad consort of thy reign; For he is noble, true, and bold, And trained a righteous course to hold Gifts like his sire's that youth adorn Born eldest to the eldest born.†
Book 4

What righteous Ráma bids thee, do, And to thy plighted word be true.†
Book 4

At length, O righteous prince, relent, Nor let my words in vain be spent, This sudden blaze of fury slake, I pray thee for Sugríva's sake.†
Book 4

How is he worthy of our trust, Righteous, and true, and wise, and just, Who, shrinking not from sin and shame, Durst take his living brother's dame?†
Book 4

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Best Example Sentences
From Other Sources
Highlighting 3 Senses of the Word

Definitions:

(1) (righteous as in: a righteous cause)
morally correct; or morally justified

or:

acting or feeling morally superior -- especially when it isn't true (this meaning is more typically seen as a compound word beginning with "self-")
(2) (meaning too rare to warrant focus)
Less commonly, righteous is used as a synonym for wonderful.

Page Numbers by Book Edition

righteous in The Ramayana

righteous

in

The Ramayana