Valmiki Ramayana · Ayodhya Kanda · Sarga 1
तेषामपि महातेजा रामो रतिकरःपितुः। स्वयम्भूरिव भूतानां बभूव गुणवत्तरः
teṣāmapi mahātejā rāmo ratikaraḥpituḥ| svayambhūriva bhūtānāṃ babhūva guṇavattaraḥ
Even among them the brilliant Rama was a source of delight to his father like the Selfborn (Brahma) to all living beings.
— M.N. Dutt (1891)
Commentary
Among the four, Rama is the one who brings the most joy to Dasharatha's heart. The simile compares him to the self-born Brahma among all beings — a quiet reminder of Rama's divine nature, which the epic never lets us forget even in its most human moments.
रतिकरस्वयम्भू