Shloka 2.114.5
अयोध्याप्रवेशः — Bharata Enters Ayodhya and Perceives the City’s Desolation
विधूमामिव हेमाभामध्वराग्ने स्समुत्थिताम्। हविरभ्युक्षितां पश्चाच्छिखां विप्रलयं गताम्।।2.114.5।।
vidhūmām iva hemābhām adhvarāgneḥ samutthitām | havirabhyukṣitāṃ paścāc chikhāṃ vipralayaṃ gatām || 2.114.5 ||
Ayodhyā looked like a sacrificial flame—smokeless and golden as it rose from the ritual fire—yet later, sprinkled with oblations, it waned and passed into extinction.
The verse implies that when dharma’s living presence (Rāma) is removed, even a prosperous order can lose its radiance—like a flame that rises pure yet later fades. Dharma is not mere ritual form; it is sustained by righteous leadership and inner integrity.
The poet describes Ayodhyā’s condition after Rāma’s departure, using sacrificial imagery to convey a city whose former brilliance has diminished into silence and loss.
Indirectly, Rāma’s dhārmic presence is emphasized: his righteousness is portrayed as the sustaining ‘fire’ of the kingdom’s welfare and moral order.