Shloka 2.47.5

अयोध्यायाः पौरविलापः (Lament of the Citizens of Ayodhya on Rama’s Absence)

Devanagari script

कथं नाम महाबाहु स्स तथावितथक्रियः।भक्तं जनं परित्यज्य प्रवासं राघवो गतः।।।।

Transliteration

ihaiva nidhanaṃ yāmo mahāprasthānam eva vā | rāmeṇa rahitānāṃ hi kimarthaṃ jīvitaṃ hi naḥ ||

Translation

Let us die here itself—or else set forth upon the great final journey; for what use is life to us, bereft of Rāma?

Context

How is it that the mighty-armed Rama who never renders services done to him fruitless has deserted his devoted people and gone into exile?

Characters & Entities

• Rāma
• Death (nidhana)
• Mahāprasthāna (final departure)

FAQs

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

It reveals how dharma is experienced as moral orientation: without the righteous exemplar, people feel life loses direction and value.

What is the narrative situation?

In extreme grief, the citizens speak of death as preferable to living without Rāma.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Rāma’s role as a sustaining moral center for society—his presence gives people hope and purpose.