Shloka 2.67.1

अयोध्यायां शोक-रात्रिः तथा अराजक-राष्ट्रस्य नीतिविचारः (The Night of Lamentation in Ayodhya and the Political Ethics of a Kingless Realm)

Devanagari script

आक्रन्दितनिरानन्दा सास्रकण्ठजनाकुला।अयोध्यायामवतता सा व्यतीयाय शर्वरी।।।।

Transliteration

ākranditanirānandā sāsrakaṇṭhajanākulā | ayodhyāyām avatatā sā vyatīyāya śarvarī ||

Translation

In Ayodhyā, joyless with wailing and crowded with people whose throroats were choked with tears, that night dragged on endlessly and at last passed away.

Context

The night stretched interminably in Ayodhya, which was filled with sobbing people rendered cheerless by their lamentations.

Characters & Entities

• Ayodhyā

FAQs

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

When dharma in the royal household is shaken, the entire city shares the burden; the verse shows how moral-political disorder becomes collective suffering.

What is the narrative situation?

Ayodhyā spends a night in communal mourning following the upheavals of exile and the king’s death.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Not an individual virtue but civic solidarity: the city grieves together, indicating deep attachment to righteous order.