Ramayana — Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 114, Shloka 5
अयोध्याप्रवेशः
Bharata Enters Ayodhya and Perceives the City’s Desolation
विधूमामिव हेमाभामध्वराग्ने स्समुत्थिताम्। हविरभ्युक्षितां पश्चाच्छिखां विप्रलयं गताम्।।2.114.5।।
vidhūmām iva hemābhām adhvarāgneḥ samutthitām | havirabhyukṣitāṃ paścāc chikhāṃ vipralayaṃ gatām || 2.114.5 ||
অযোধ্যা যেন যজ্ঞাগ্নির ধূমহীন, স্বর্ণাভ শিখা—উঠে জ্বলে; কিন্তু পরে হবি-সিঞ্চনে যেমন সেই শিখা নিভে লয়ে মিলায়, তেমনই নিস্তব্ধ হয়ে গেল।
FAQs
The verse implies that when dharma’s living presence (Rāma) is removed, even a prosperous order can lose its radiance—like a flame that rises pure yet later fades. Dharma is not mere ritual form; it is sustained by righteous leadership and inner integrity.
The poet describes Ayodhyā’s condition after Rāma’s departure, using sacrificial imagery to convey a city whose former brilliance has diminished into silence and loss.
Indirectly, Rāma’s dhārmic presence is emphasized: his righteousness is portrayed as the sustaining ‘fire’ of the kingdom’s welfare and moral order.