Shloka 2.65.28
अयोध्याकाण्डे पञ्चषष्टितमः सर्गः — Daśaratha’s Death Discovered in the Palace (Morning Rites Turn to Lament)
तत् परित्रस्तन्त्रसम्भ्रान्त पर्युत्सुकजनाकुलम्।सर्वतस्तुमुलाक्रन्दं परितापार्तबान्धवम्।।2.65.27।।सद्यो निपतितानन्दं दीनविक्लबदर्शनम्।बभूव नरदेवस्य सद्म दिष्टान्तमीयुषः।।2.65.28।।
tat paritrastantrasambhrānta paryutsukajanākulam | sarvatas tumulākrandaṃ paritāpārtabāndhavam || sadyo nipatitānandaṃ dīnaviklabadarśanam | babhūva naradevasya sadma diṣṭāntam īyuṣaḥ ||
On the king’s demise, the palace at once lost all joy—packed with anxious, frightened people, ringing everywhere with tumultuous cries, and full of relatives tormented by grief; it looked utterly wretched and broken.
On the demise of Dasaratha, joy instantly vanished. The palace was thronged with anxious people who were exceedingly bewildered and frightened. The royal family was anguished with distress. The palace was filled all over with the tumult of cries of agony. And it looked miserable with grief.
It reiterates the dharmic theme that leadership is a moral and emotional anchor for society; the king’s death shakes the collective psyche and social order.
A repeated/parallel description (as transmitted here) of the palace’s immediate transformation into a space of mourning after Daśaratha’s death.
The king’s role as stabilizer is emphasized by contrast—his absence reveals the dependence of many upon his protection.