The wheels are mounted, the banner lifts in the wind. Now Rama speaks of the force that draws the chariot forward, and of the intelligence that shows it the road. The horses, and the charioteer.
बल बिबेक दम परहित घोरे।
छमा कृपा समता रजु जोरे॥
Strength, discernment, self-control, and care for others: these four horses draw the chariot. Strength means capability. Discernment means the eye that tells good from bad. Self-control means restraint over your own self. Care for others means a gaze turned toward the good of others. But horses without reins run wild, so Rama ties into them the cords of forgiveness, compassion, and equanimity. Strength bound by forgiveness never turns violent. Discernment bound by compassion never turns harsh. Self-control bound by equanimity never turns cold. Every horse needs a rein of its own.
ईस भजनु सारथी सुजाना।
बिरति चर्म संतोष कृपाना॥
Now the greatest point of all. However beautiful the chariot, where will it go without a skilled charioteer? Rama says that worship of God is that wise charioteer. Whoever keeps his awareness fixed on God without a break finds that his chariot never takes a wrong turn. Two more parts come with it. Dispassion is his shield, because non-attachment gives the best protection against the blows of the world. Contentment is his sword, because contentment cuts discontent off at the root. It stirs wonder to realize that the very contentment people do not even count as a weapon is the one Rama names the sharpest sword.
Source: Tulsidas, Ramcharitmanas, Lankakanda