Shloka 2.114.19

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

Devanagari script

पुरुषस्याप्रहृष्टस्य प्रतिषिद्धानुलेपनाम्। सन्तप्तामिव शोकेन गात्रयष्टिमभूषणाम्।।2.114.19।।

Transliteration

śuṣkatoyāṃ mahāmatsyaiḥ kūrmaiś ca bahubhir vṛtām | prabhinnataṭavistīrṇāṃ vāpīm iva hṛtotpalām || 2.114.18 ||

Translation

Like a reservoir whose water has dried up—crowded with many great fish and tortoises—its banks broken and spread out, its lotuses gone.

Characters & Entities

• Ayodhyā

FAQs

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

Dharma is likened to sustaining ‘water’ that nourishes beauty and stability; when dharma is compromised, the community remains but its joy, prosperity, and grace (lotuses) vanish.

What is the narrative situation?

Ayodhya is described as depleted and broken, using ecological metaphors to convey civic sorrow.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Rama’s life-giving presence as the ethical center of the kingdom is implied; without him, the city is ‘dried up’.