Valmiki Ramayana 2.67.12 — Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 67, Shloka 12
अयोध्यायां शोक-रात्रिः तथा अराजक-राष्ट्रस्य नीतिविचारः
The Night of Lamentation in Ayodhya and the Political Ethics of a Kingless Realm
नाराजके जनपदे कारयन्ति सभां नराः।उद्यानानि च रम्याणि हृष्टाः पुण्यगृहाणि च।।।।
nārājake janapade kārayanti sabhāṃ narāḥ | udyānāni ca ramyāṇi hṛṣṭāḥ puṇyagṛhāṇi ca ||
Dans un pays sans roi, les hommes ne tiennent pas d’assemblées ; et, dans une joyeuse assurance, ils n’édifient ni jardins charmants ni demeures sacrées.
In a country without a king, self-controlled brahmins in charge of sacrificial ceremonies, well-versed in the study of Vedas and strict followers of austerity will not function.
FAQs
The verse teaches that righteous governance enables civic life: without a king who upholds dharma, public institutions, communal deliberation, and merit-making works decline.
In the political uncertainty of Ayodhyā, speakers argue that the absence of a ruler disrupts normal social and religious activities, motivating urgent action toward stable kingship.
Concern for loka-saṅgraha (the holding-together of society): valuing assemblies, public works, and sacred construction as signs of a well-ordered realm.
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