Valmiki Ramayana 2.41.10: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 41, Shloka 10
अयोध्यायाः शोकप्रकम्पः
Ayodhya’s Tremor of Grief and Omens
व्यसृजन् कबलान्नागा गावो वत्सान्न पाययन् ।
पुत्रं प्रथमजं लब्ध्वा जननी नाभ्यनन्दत ॥१०॥
vyasṛjan kabalān nāgā gāvo vatsān na pāyayan |
putraṁ prathamajaṁ labdhvā jananī nābhyanandata ||10||
Die Elefanten ließen ihre Bissen fallen; die Kühe ließen ihre Kälber nicht saugen; selbst Mütter, die eben erst ihre erstgeborenen Söhne empfangen hatten, empfanden keine Freude — so schwer lastete jener Augenblick.
Elephants dropped their morsel of food. Cows did not suckle their calves. Even the mothers were not pleased with their first-born sons.
FAQs
The verse underscores how a dharmic crisis affects the whole realm: when righteousness is strained by injustice, even ordinary life loses its natural harmony.
As Rāma’s departure nears, unsettling signs appear in the kingdom—animals and people behave contrary to normal well-being.
Not a single character’s virtue, but the ideal of rājyadharma: the health of the kingdom mirrors the moral order.
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