Valmiki Ramayana 2.71.37: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 71, Shloka 37
भरतस्य अयोध्याप्रत्यागमनम्
Bharata’s Return Journey and the Distant Sight of Ayodhya
सम्मार्जनविहीनानि परुषाण्युपलक्षये।।2.71.37।।
असंयत कवाटानि श्रीविहीनानि सर्वशः।
बलिकर्मविहीनानि धूपसम्मोदनेन च।।2.71.38।।
अनाशितकुटुम्बानि प्रभाहीनजनानि च।
अलक्ष्मीकानि पश्यामि कुटुम्बिभवनान्यहम्।।2.71.39।।
sammārjanavihīnāni paruṣāṇy upalakṣaye |
asaṃyata-kavāṭāni śrīvihīnāni sarvaśaḥ |
balikarmavihīnāni dhūpa-sammodanena ca || 2.71.38 ||
anāśita-kuṭumbāni prabhāhīna-janāni ca |
alakṣmīkāni paśyāmi kuṭumbibhavanāny aham || 2.71.37–39 ||
I behold householders’ homes left unclean—rough and grimy; their doors unguarded, and their former splendour vanished on every side. The customary offerings are not performed, nor does the pleasing fragrance of incense arise. Families seem unfed, people bereft of radiance—each dwelling appears marked by misfortune.
I see the unswept homes of householders standing dirty with doors not closed. There is no beauty anywhere. No one offers oblations (at the time of worship). There is no fragrance of burning incense. The families have no food to eat. The people look cheerless. I see inauspiciousness everywhere.
FAQs
Dharma is reflected in daily household order—cleanliness, hospitality/feeding, and worship. Their absence signals a rupture in social and spiritual life.
Entering the city, Bharata reads the neglected houses and suspended rites as evidence of collective grief or crisis.
Empathy and civic awareness—he notices the condition of ordinary households, not only palace matters.
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