Valmiki Ramayana 2.67.11: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 67, Shloka 11

अयोध्यायां शोक-रात्रिः तथा अराजक-राष्ट्रस्य नीतिविचारः

The Night of Lamentation in Ayodhya and the Political Ethics of a Kingless Realm

Devanagari script

नाराजके धनं चास्ति नास्ति भार्या प्यराजके।इद मत्याहितं चान्यत्कुतस्सत्य मराजके।।।।

Sanskrit recitationValmiki Ramayana 2.67.11

Transliteration

nārājake dhanaṁ cāsti nāsti bhāryā py arājake | idam atyāhitaṁ cānyat kutaḥ satyam arājake ||

Translation

حيث لا ملك، لا يثبتُ المالُ حقًّا، ولا تأمنُ الزوجةُ كذلك. وهناك خطرٌ جسيمٌ آخر: أين تقومُ الحقيقةُ في أرضٍ بلا ملك؟

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Word by Word

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; niṣedha

• arājake: in a kingless (state)
• arājake: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a-rājaka (प्रातिपदik)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Saptamī, Ekavacana

• janapade: in the country
• janapade: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: janapada (प्रातिपदik)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Saptamī, Ekavacana

• kārayanti: have built/make
• kārayanti: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (धातु)
• Form: Laṭ-lakāra, Prathama puruṣa, Bahuvacana; Parasmaipada; causative (ṇic/णिच्): 'cause to be made/build'

• sabhām: assembly hall
• sabhām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sabhā (प्रातिपदik)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana

• narāḥ: people/men
• narāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदik)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Bahuvacana

• udyānāni: gardens
• udyānāni: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: udyāna (प्रातिपदik)
• Form: Napुंसakliṅga, Prathamā, Bahuvacana

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; samuccaya

• ramyāṇi: delightful
• ramyāṇi: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ramya (प्रातिपदik)
• Form: Napुंसakliṅga, Prathamā, Bahuvacana; viśeṣaṇa of udyānāni

• hṛṣṭāḥ: rejoiced
• hṛṣṭāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √hṛṣ (धातु)
• Form: Bhūta-kāla kṛdanta; Kta, Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Bahuvacana; viśeṣaṇa of narāḥ (rejoiced)

• puṇya-gṛhāṇi: sacred edifices/temples
• puṇya-gṛhāṇi: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puṇya + gṛha (प्रातिपदik)
• Form: Napुंसakliṅga, Prathamā, Bahuvacana; karmadhāraya: puṇyāni gṛhāṇi (sacred buildings)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; samuccaya

Context

In a kingdom without a king wealth cannot be preserved, no wife would like to stay (with her husband). There is one more cause for a great peril, that is, there is no place for truth in a country (where there is no king).

Characters & Entities

• Rājā (king, as institution)

FAQs

What is the core ethical principle (Dharma) in this verse?

Satya (truth) requires institutional protection; without rājadharma, truth and trust erode, and even basic social goods (wealth, family stability) become insecure.

What is the narrative situation?

Amid succession uncertainty, speakers warn that the absence of a king leads to moral and material collapse, culminating in the disappearance of truth.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

The civic virtue of upholding truth through lawful authority—governance is portrayed as a safeguard for satya in public life.