Ramayana — Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 47, Shloka 2
अयोध्यायाः पौरविलापः
Lament of the Citizens of Ayodhya on Rama’s Absence
शोकजाश्रुपरिद्यूना वीक्षमाणास्ततस्ततः।आलोकमपि रामस्य न पश्यन्ति स्म दुःखिताः।।।।
śokajāśruparidyūnā vīkṣamāṇās tataḥ tataḥ | ālokam api rāmasya na paśyanti sma duḥkhitāḥ ||
Von Kummer gequält und von Tränen durchnässt, blickten sie hierhin und dorthin; doch in ihrem Schmerz fanden sie nicht einmal die geringste Spur Rāmas.
Plunged in grief, they saw the city deprived of all joy, looking like a sky without the Moon and an ocean without water.
FAQs
Dharma here appears as steadfast loyalty to a righteous leader; the citizens’ grief signals how deeply Rāma is associated with moral order and protection.
After Rāma’s departure for exile, the people of Ayodhyā search desperately but cannot find even a trace of him.
Rāma’s perceived virtue as a dhārmic protector is emphasized indirectly—his absence creates disorientation and sorrow among the people.