Valmiki Ramayana · Ayodhya Kanda · Sarga 2
गान्धर्वे च भुवि श्रेष्ठो बभूव भरताग्रजः। कल्याणाभिजन स्साधुरदीनात्मा महामतिः
gāndharve ca bhuvi śreṣṭho babhūva bharatāgrajaḥ| kalyāṇābhijana ssādhuradīnātmā mahāmatiḥ
This elder brother of Bharata is the greatest exponent in music on earth. Pious, sagacious, free from meanness, he is of noble descent.
— M.N. Dutt (1891)
Commentary
Rama is the greatest exponent of music on earth — an unexpected detail after the martial descriptions. The ideal king is not only a warrior but a connoisseur of arts. Music refines the soul, and Rama's mastery of it shows the completeness of his education and humanity.
गान्धर्वविद्या