Ramayana — Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 67, Shloka 13
अयोध्यायां शोक-रात्रिः तथा अराजक-राष्ट्रस्य नीतिविचारः
The Night of Lamentation in Ayodhya and the Political Ethics of a Kingless Realm
नाराजके जनपदे यज्ञशीला द्विजातयः।सत्राण्यन्वासते दान्ता ब्राह्मणा स्संशितव्रताः।।।।
nārājake janapade yajñaśīlā dvijātayaḥ | satrāṇy anvāsate dāntā brāhmaṇāḥ saṃśitavratāḥ ||
En un país sin rey, los dos veces nacidos, dedicados al sacrificio—brahmanes dueños de sí y firmes en sus votos—no prosiguen los grandes satras, las prolongadas sesiones rituales.
In a country without a king wealthy brahmins, who have performed great sacrifices, do not offer abundance of gifts to the officiating priests.
FAQs
Dharma is interdependent: ritual and spiritual life require a secure, lawfully governed society. Without a king, even disciplined religious specialists cannot sustain public rites.
The speakers highlight the breakdown of sacrificial culture in a leaderless state, strengthening the argument that the kingdom must not remain without a ruler.
Śama and vrata-niṣṭhā (self-control and steadfast vows), paired with the recognition that personal virtue needs societal protection to flourish.