Valmiki Ramayana · Ayodhya Kanda · Sarga 3
तं पश्यमानो नृपतिस्तुतोष प्रियमात्मजम्।।2.3.37।। अलङ्कृतमिवात्मानमादर्शतलसंस्थितम्।
taṃ paśyamāno nṛpatistutoṣa priyamātmajam alaṅkṛtamivātmānamādarśatalasaṃsthitam|
The king was delighted to see his beloved son as though he saw his own reflection adorning a mirror.
— M.N. Dutt (1891)
Commentary
Dasharatha sees his beloved son as though seeing his own reflection in a mirror. The verse captures the deep identification between father and son — Rama is not merely Dasharatha's successor but his continuation. A father's greatest joy is to see himself surpassed.
प्रतिबिम्बदर्पण