Shloka 1.5.3
अयोध्यानगरवर्णनम् (Description of Ayodhya and the Ikshvaku Royal Setting)
इक्ष्वाकूणामिदं तेषां राज्ञां वंशे महात्मनाम् ।महदुत्पन्नमाख्यानं रामायणमिति श्रुतम् ।।।।
ikṣvākūṇām idaṃ teṣāṃ rājñāṃ vaṃśe mahātmanām | mahad utpannam ākhyānaṃ rāmāyaṇam iti śrutam ||
From the lineage of the great-souled kings of the Ikṣvāku race arose this mighty narrative, renowned in the world as the Rāmāyaṇa.
It was from the family of mighty monarchs with Ikshvaku as its founder and the kings born in that race, the celebrated epic known as the 'Ramayanam' arose.
The verse grounds the Rāmāyaṇa in a royal lineage famed for nobility, implying that dharma is preserved and transmitted through exemplary lives and remembered as authoritative tradition (itihāsa).
The text introduces the Rāmāyaṇa as a renowned, great account that arose from the Ikṣvāku dynasty, setting the epic’s historical and cultural frame.
Nobility and greatness of soul (mahātmatā)—the quality expected of righteous rulers and central heroes of the epic.