Shloka 2.76.23

दशरथस्य अन्त्येष्टि-विधानम् — Dasaratha’s Funeral Rites and Ayodhya’s Mourning

Devanagari script

कृत्वोदकं ते भरतेन सार्धं नृपाङ्गना मन्त्रिपुरोहिता श्च।पुरंप्रविश्याश्रुपरीतनेत्राः भूमौ दशाहं व्यनयन्त दुःखम्।।2.76.23।।

Transliteration

prasavyaṃ cāpi taṃ cakruḥ ṛtvijo 'gnicitaṃ nṛpam |

striyaś ca śokasantaptāḥ kausalyāpramukhās tadā || 2.76.20 ||

Translation

Then the priests, and the women—burning with grief and led by Kausalyā—circumambulated the king’s blazing pyre in the reverse direction.

Context

The wives of the king, counsellors and priests along with Bharata offered water-libation and entered the city with tearful eyes. They spent the ten-day mourning period sleeping on the ground (floor) in great grief.ityārṣē śrīmadrāmāyaṇē vālmīkīya ādikāvyē ayōdhyākāṇḍē ṣaṭasaptatitamassargaḥ৷৷Thus ends the seventysixth sarga in Ayodhyakanda of the holy Ramayana, the first epic composed by sage Valmiki.

Characters & Entities

• Daśaratha
• Kausalyā
• ṛtvij (priests)
• cremation fire (agni)

FAQs

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

Dharma includes prescribed rites that honor life’s transitions; the reverse circumambulation marks the solemnity of death-rituals and communal respect for the departed.

What is the narrative situation?

At Daśaratha’s cremation, priests and the grieving queens perform the customary movement around the pyre.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Reverence and fidelity—Kausalyā and the others uphold ritual duty despite overwhelming sorrow.