Valmiki Ramayana 2.41.9: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 41, Shloka 9
अयोध्यायाः शोकप्रकम्पः
Ayodhya’s Tremor of Grief and Omens
नाग्निहोत्राण्यहूयन्त नापचन् गृहमेधिनःअकुर्वन्न प्रजाः कार्यं सूर्यश्चान्तरधीयत।।2.41.9।।
nāgnihotrāṇy ahūyanta nāpacan gṛhamedhinaḥ |
akurvan na prajāḥ kāryaṃ sūryaś cāntaradhīyata || 2.41.9 ||
On n’invoqua pas les feux de l’agnihotra; les maîtres de maison ne cuisinèrent pas; le peuple n’accomplit pas ses tâches quotidiennes—et le soleil aussi disparut à la vue, en se couchant.
The sacred fire in agnihotra sacrifices was not invoked; householders did not cook their food; the people did not attend to their daily chores. And the Sun set.
FAQs
Dharma is shown as a sustaining social-ritual rhythm: when collective grief overwhelms society, even daily duties and sacred rites falter—illustrating how moral leadership and stability support communal dharma.
Ayodhyā is so shaken by Rāma’s exile that normal religious rites and household routines cease as the day ends.
Indirectly, Rāma’s importance to the kingdom’s moral equilibrium—his absence correlates with the collapse of routine dharmic life.
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