Shloka 1.5.4

अयोध्यानगरवर्णनम् (Description of Ayodhya and the Ikshvaku Royal Setting)

Devanagari script

तदिदं वर्तयिष्यामि सर्वं निखिलमादित: ।धर्मकामार्थसहितं श्रोतव्यमनसूयया ।।।।

Transliteration

tad idaṃ vartayiṣyāmi sarvaṃ nikhilam āditaḥ | dharma-kāma-artha-sahitaṃ śrotavyam anasūyayā ||

Translation

Therefore I shall now set forth this entire account from the very beginning—an epic embracing dharma, artha, and kāma—and it should be heard without fault-finding or prejudice.

Context

I shall propagate this Ramayanam, incorporating the merits of dharma, artha and kama, and complete in all respects. It deserves to be heard right from the start without prejudice.

Characters & Entities

• Rāmāyaṇa
• Dharma
• Artha
• Kāma

FAQs

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

It teaches disciplined listening and fair inquiry: sacred history should be received without malice or bias, and dharma is presented as integrated with life’s aims (artha and kāma) rather than isolated from them.

What is the narrative situation?

The narrator announces an intention to recount the Rāmāyaṇa completely from the start and instructs the audience on the proper attitude for hearing it.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Intellectual humility and impartiality (anasūyā)—the virtue of learning without cynicism or envy.