Shloka 2.114.16

अयोध्याप्रवेशः — Bharata Enters Ayodhya and Perceives the City’s Desolation

Devanagari script

विपुलां विततां चैव युक्तपाशां तरस्विनाम्। भूमौ बाणैर्विनिष्कृत्तां पतितां ज्यामिवायुधात्।।2.114.16।।

Transliteration

biḍālōlūkacaritām ālīnanaravāraṇām | timirābhyāhatāṃ kālīm aprakāśāṃ niśām iva || 2.114.2 ||

Translation

It looked like night itself—black and lightless, smothered in darkness—where cats and owls now roamed, and where neither people nor elephants could be seen.

Characters & Entities

• Ayodhyā

FAQs

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

The verse indirectly highlights the social dimension of dharma: when righteous order is disturbed (through the unjust exile of Rama), the city’s harmony and safety diminish, symbolized by darkness and nocturnal creatures.

What is the narrative situation?

Bharata is approaching/observing Ayodhya after Rama’s exile; the narrator describes the city’s eerie, deserted atmosphere.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Bharata’s sensitivity and moral alarm are implied: he recognizes that a visible change in the city reflects an underlying ethical crisis.