Valmiki Ramayana · Ayodhya Kanda · Sarga 1
स हि देवैरुदीर्णस्य रावणस्य वधार्थिभिः। अर्थितो मानुषे लोके जज्ञे विष्णुस्सनातनः
sa hi devairudīrṇasya rāvaṇasya vadhārthibhiḥ| arthito mānuṣe loke jajñe viṣṇussanātanaḥ
Entreated by the devatas desirous of slaying arrogant Ravana, the eternal Visnu was indeed born in the mortal world as Rama.
— M.N. Dutt (1891)
Commentary
The verse explicitly states what Bala Kanda only hinted at: Rama is Vishnu incarnate, born at the request of the gods to slay Ravana. This is the theological heart of the epic, stated simply and without ornament. All the human drama that follows is also cosmic drama.
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