Ramayana — Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 42, Shloka 22
द्विचत्वारिंशः सर्गः — दशरथस्य शोक-विलापः तथा कौशल्यागृह-प्रवेशः
Dasaratha’s Lament and Return to Kausalya’s Apartments
इत्येवं विलपन् राजा जनौघेनाभिसंवृतः।अपस्नात इवारिष्टं प्रविवेश पुरोत्तमम्।।।।
ity evaṃ vilapan rājā janaughenābhisaṃvṛtaḥ |
apasnāta ivāriṣṭaṃ praviveśa purottamam ||
Ainsi gémissant, le roi, entouré par la foule, entra dans la plus noble des cités, tel celui qui a pris le bain de mauvais augure, comme marqué par un malheur imminent.
Thus the king, who looked like one after the inauspicious (funeral) bath, surroundedby streams of people entered the most beautiful city (Ayodhya) which portended misfortune.
FAQs
A ruler’s private unrighteous crisis becomes a public wound: dharma links king and kingdom, so the monarch’s moral and emotional collapse signals disorder for society.
Daśaratha returns into Ayodhyā after the irreversible decision of Rāma’s exile, and the city’s mood mirrors the king’s grief.
The people’s solidarity and concern are emphasized—they gather around the king, reflecting civic loyalty and shared sorrow.