Shloka 2.59.13

एकोनषष्ठितमः सर्गः (Sarga 59): सुमन्त्रवाक्यं, अयोध्याविषादः, दाशरथिशोकसागरः

Devanagari script

अत्रोद्यानानि शून्यानि प्रलीनविहगनि च।न चाभिरामा नारामान्पश्यामि मनुजर्षभ।।2.59.13।।

Transliteration

atrodyānāni śūnyāni pralīna-vihagāni ca |

na cābhirāmān ārāmān paśyāmi manujarṣabha ||

Translation

Here the pleasure-gardens are empty, and the birds have vanished into hiding. O best of men, I no longer see the parks as lovely as they once were.

Context

Pleasure-gardens are all deserted as the birds have vanished. O best of men, as such they do not look beautiful.

Characters & Entities

• Daśaratha (Manujarṣabha)
• Ayodhyā (implied)
• gardens (udyāna)
• parks (ārāma)

FAQs

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

It reflects how a society’s moral center affects collective well-being: when dharma is wounded, communal joy (symbolized by gardens and birdsong) recedes.

What is the narrative situation?

Sumantra describes Ayodhyā’s (and its environs’) desolation—gardens empty, birds absent—mirroring the people’s sorrow.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Civic love for a righteous heir: the populace’s attachment to Rāma’s virtue is so deep that the city’s cheer seems extinguished without him.