Shloka 1.5.23
अयोध्यानगरवर्णनम् (Description of Ayodhya and the Ikshvaku Royal Setting)
तामग्निमद्भिर्गुणवद्भिरावृतांद्विजोत्तमैर्वेदषडङ्गपारगै: ।सहस्रदैस्सत्यरतैर्महात्मभिर्महर्षिकल्पै ऋषिभिश्च केवलै: ।।।।
tām agnimadbhir guṇavadbhir āvṛtāṃ
dvijottamair vedaṣaḍaṅgapāragaiḥ |
sahasradaiḥ satyaratair mahātmabhir
maharṣikalpaiḥ ṛṣibhiś ca kevalaiḥ ||
That city was filled with eminent twice-born men—keepers of the sacred fires, virtuous, and accomplished in the Vedas and the six auxiliaries—generous in great gifts, devoted to truth, great-souled, and like maharṣis: sages of exceptional purity.
That city (of Ayodhya) was filled with excellent dwijas (brahmana, kshatriya and vaisyas) performing rituals of sacrificial fire, virtuous and well-versed in the Vedas and Vedangas. They were generous, truthful and dignified. They were almost equal to rishis and maharshis.ityārṣē śrīmadrāmāyaṇē vālmīkīya ādikāvyē bālakāṇḍē pañcamassarga:৷৷Thus ends the fifth sarga of Balakanda of the holy Ramayana the first epic composed by sage Valmiki.
A dharmic society rests on satya (truth), yajña-culture (sacred responsibility), learning, and dāna (generosity); these are presented as civic virtues that uphold the kingdom.
The narrator describes Ayodhyā as populated by learned, fire-keeping, truthful, and charitable elites—idealizing the city’s moral-spiritual ecology.
Collective virtue: truthfulness and disciplined learning among citizens as the foundation for righteous governance.