Shloka 2.67.11

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

Devanagari script

नाराजके धनं चास्ति नास्ति भार्या प्यराजके।इद मत्याहितं चान्यत्कुतस्सत्य मराजके।।।।

Transliteration

nārājake dhanaṁ cāsti nāsti bhāryā py arājake | idam atyāhitaṁ cānyat kutaḥ satyam arājake ||

Translation

Where there is no king, wealth cannot truly endure; even a wife will not remain secure. And there is yet another grave danger: where could truth stand in a kingless land?

Context

In a kingdom without a king wealth cannot be preserved, no wife would like to stay (with her husband). There is one more cause for a great peril, that is, there is no place for truth in a country (where there is no king).

Characters & Entities

• Satyam (truth, as a value)
• Rājā (king, as institution)

FAQs

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

Satya (truth) requires institutional protection; without rājadharma, truth and trust erode, and even basic social goods (wealth, family stability) become insecure.

What is the narrative situation?

Amid succession uncertainty, speakers warn that the absence of a king leads to moral and material collapse, culminating in the disappearance of truth.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

The civic virtue of upholding truth through lawful authority—governance is portrayed as a safeguard for satya in public life.