Shloka 2.76.9
दशरथस्य अन्त्येष्टि-विधानम् — Dasaratha’s Funeral Rites and Ayodhya’s Mourning
विधवा पृथिवी राजन् स्त्वया हीना न राजते।हीनचन्द्रेव रजनी नगरी प्रतिभाति मा।।2.76.9।।
vidhavā pṛthivī rājan stvayā hīnā na rājate |
hīnacandreva rajanī nagarī pratibhāti mā ||2.76.9||
O king, the earth—bereft of you—shines no more, like a widow; and this city appears to me like a night robbed of its moon.
O king! bereft of you, the earth (kingdom) is widowed and has lost its radiance. The city appears to me like a moonless night.
The verse expresses the dharmic ideal that a righteous king is the ‘light’ of the realm; when that moral center is lost, society’s order and confidence dim.
Bharata, grieving, describes Ayodhyā’s desolation after Daśaratha’s death and Rāma’s absence.
Daśaratha’s sustaining kingship is emphasized indirectly—his presence is equated with radiance and stability for the kingdom.