Valmiki Ramayana 2.113.22: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 113, Shloka 22
पादुकाप्रदानं भरतस्य निवृत्तिश्च
The Sandals Bestowed; Bharata’s Return Toward Ayodhya
Setting: Śṛṅgiberapura; then sightline toward AyodhyāPlaces named: गङ्गा, शृङ्गिबेरपुर, अयोध्याReturn route after crossing Gaṅgā; entering Śṛṅgiberapura and proceeding toward Ayodhyā
तां रम्यजलसंपूर्णां सन्तीर्य सहबान्धवः ।
शृङ्गिबेरपुरं रम्यं प्रविवेश ससैनिकः ।
शृङ्गिबेरपुराद्भूय स्त्वयोध्यां सन्ददर्श ह ॥२२॥
tāṃ ramyajalasaṃpūrṇāṃ santīrya sahabāndhavaḥ |
śṛṅgiberapuraṃ ramyaṃ praviveśa sasainikaḥ |
śṛṅgiberapurādbhūya stvayodhyāṃ sandadarśa ha ||22||
Ayant traversé la Gaṅgā, pleine d’eaux charmantes, Bharata, avec ses proches et son armée, entra dans la belle cité de Śṛṅgiberapura ; et de Śṛṅgiberapura, il revit Ayodhyā.
Sandhi Notes
- sahabāndhavaḥ → saha + bāndhavaḥ (written together)
- śṛṅgiberapurādbhūyaḥ → śṛṅgiberapurāt + bhūyaḥ
- stvayodhyāṃ → tu + ayodhyām (t + a → tv/’st’ in transmission)
- sandadarśa ha → sandadarśa + ha
Bharata along with his kins and his army crossed the Ganga with its overflowing, wonderful waters and entered the beautiful city of Sringiberapura and from there he proceeded until he beheld the city of Ayodhya.
The teaching
Transitions through liminal spaces (river, frontier-town) mark readiness to face the moral weight awaiting at the capital.
- Ethical theme
- राजधर्म (context-setting)
For your practice
Mindful travel: keep companions close and intentions clear when returning to difficult responsibilities.
Mood and themes
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism), with Shanta (peace)
- Mood
- Processional, ordered, anticipatory
Themes
- Dharma
- Itihasa
- Journey
- Rajadharma
- Ethics
Movement through places suggests the mind’s transitions; ‘dadarśa’ (beholding) hints at recognition—seeing the familiar yet changed object-world.
The motif of ‘seeing again’ (punar-darśana) resonates with remembrance (smṛti) as a bridge across change.
Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.54-2.56 (Śṛṅgiberapura and Guha context earlier); Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.111-2.112 (return journey sequencing)
Itihāsa travel-catalog style (digvijaya/procession descriptions in Mahābhārata)
Ayodhyākāṇḍa: Guha’s Śṛṅgiberapura as liminal threshold between forest and kingdom
Anuṣṭup (śloka)
Narrative
Measured, marching rhythm; slight uplift on रम्यं to color the city-description
FAQs
Dharma is continuity of duty through transitions: sacred crossings and city-stops frame Bharata’s return as a purposeful movement toward resolving a moral and royal rupture.
Bharata crosses the Gaṅgā, enters Śṛṅgiberapura, and then advances until Ayodhyā comes into view.
Determination (dṛḍha-saṅkalpa)—Bharata presses on with his people toward the center of responsibility.
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