Ramayana — Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 67, Shloka 29
यथा ह्यनुदका नद्यः यथा वाऽप्यतृणं वनम्।अगोपाला यथा गावस्तथा राष्ट्रमराजकम्।।।।
yathā hy anudakā nadyaḥ yathā vā 'py atṛṇaṃ vanam | agopālā yathā gāvas tathā rāṣṭram arājakam ||
A kingdom without a king is like rivers without water, a forest without grass, and cows without cowherds—its very life-support and guidance are gone.
(The kingdom without a king) is like rivers without water, forests without vegetation and cows without cowherds.
FAQs
A king is envisioned as the sustaining guide of the polity; without that guiding dharma, society becomes barren, directionless, and vulnerable.
The counsel culminates in vivid comparisons to show that leaderlessness is not neutral—it is a loss of nourishment, protection, and order.
Guidance and guardianship—the ruler’s role as protector and organizer of collective life.