Valmiki Ramayana 2.46.19: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 46, Shloka 19
तमसातीरवासः · Night on the Bank of the Tamasa and the Stratagem to Elude the Citizens
Spoken by Rama to LakshmanaSetting: Riverside/wooded camp near Tamasa with trees used for restPlaces named: Tamasa (implied by context)Dawn observation after first night halt
अस्मद्व्यपेक्षान् सौमित्रे निरपेक्षान् गृहेष्वपि ।
वृक्षमूलेषु संसुप्तान् पश्य लक्ष्मण साम्प्रतम् ॥१९॥
asmad-vyapekṣān saumitre nirapekṣān gṛheṣv api |
vṛkṣa-mūleṣu saṁsuptān paśya lakṣmaṇa sāmpratam ||19||
O Saumitri, sieh jetzt, Lakshmana: Aus Sorge um uns sind diese Menschen selbst ihren Häusern gegenüber gleichgültig geworden und schlafen am Fuße der Bäume.
Sandhi Notes
- गृहेष्वपि → गृहेषु + अपि
- saṅsuptān → saṃsuptān (anusvāra before s)
O Lakshmana, son of Sumitra! look at these people, fast alseep under the trees. Out of affection for us, they are even indifferent to their home.
The teaching
Love for the righteous is noble, but dharma requires each person to uphold their own responsibilities without causing greater disorder.
Duties in tension
- Citizens’ household and civic duties (gṛha, nagara)
- Their loyalty and compassion-driven impulse to accompany Rama
- Ethical theme
- Svadharma vs. bhakti/loyalty
- How it resolves
- Persuasion/ethical correction (Rama will urge them to return to proper stations)
For your practice
Cultivate compassion with discernment: serve the noble without abandoning rightful duties; practice non-attachment to comfort when duty calls.
Mood and themes
- Rasa
- Karuna (compassion), with Shanta (peace)
- Mood
- Pitying, hushed, self-sacrificing
Themes
- Dharma
- Compassion
- Kingship
- Ethics
Sleeping at the root of a tree evokes the fragility of worldly shelter; ‘home-indifference’ hints at the impermanence of possessions and the pull of higher allegiance.
Tree imagery recalls the ‘aśvattha’ symbolism of worldly existence; resting at roots suggests seeking the foundation rather than branches (echoing later Upanishadic tree metaphors).
Prātaḥkāla
- Rama and Lakshmana
- Elder brother instructing younger brother; shared guardianship (serious-affectionate)
Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.47 (Rama’s efforts to send citizens back); Rāmacaritamānasa Ayodhyākāṇḍa (citizens following Rama; Rama persuades return—parallel episode)
Dharma tension of subjects leaving household duties for a beloved leader (common Itihāsa motif)
Ayodhyākāṇḍa: repeated descriptions of citizens’ grief and refusal to return
Anuṣṭup
Solemn
Mandra (low register)
FAQs
Dharma of empathy and royal responsibility: Rama recognizes the citizens’ hardship and loyalty, implying a ruler must not ignore the suffering people endure on his account.
At dawn near the Tamasa, Rama points out to Lakshmana that the followers have slept outdoors under trees because of their attachment to him.
Compassionate awareness: Rama’s sensitivity to the people’s sacrifices.
Ask anything about this verse
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
A free sign-in with Google or Apple keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Valmiki Ramayana in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with word-by-word meanings, Sanskrit recitation where available, and more.
