Valmiki Ramayana 2.71.46: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 71, Shloka 46

भरतस्य अयोध्याप्रत्यागमनम्

Bharata’s Return Journey and the Distant Sight of Ayodhya

Devanagari script

तां शून्यशृङ्गाटकवेश्मरथ्यां रजोऽरुणद्वारकवाटयन्त्राम्।

दृष्ट्वा पुरीमिन्द्रपुरप्रकाशां दुःखेन सम्पूर्णतरो बभूव।।2.71.46।।

Sanskrit recitationValmiki Ramayana 2.71.46

Transliteration

tāṃ śūnyaśṛṅgāṭakaveśmarathyāṃ rajo'ruṇadvārakavāṭayantrām | dṛṣṭvā purīm indrapuraprakāśāṃ duḥkhena sampūrṇataro babhūva ||2.71.46||

Translation

Voyant cette cité—jadis éclatante comme la ville d’Indra—désormais aux carrefours, demeures et rues désertés, et dont les ferrures des portes rougissaient de poussière, il fut plus que jamais submergé de chagrin.

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Word by Word

• ताम्: that (city)
• ताम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (pronoun)

• शून्य-शृङ्गाटक-वेश्म-रथ्याम्: having deserted crossroads, houses, and streets
• शून्य-शृङ्गाटक-वेश्म-रथ्याम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शून्य (प्रातिपदिक) + शृङ्गाटक (प्रातिपदिक) + वेश्मन् (प्रातिपदिक) + रथ्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः (तत्पुरुष) विशेषणरूपेण पुरीम् विशेषयति

• रजः-अरुण-द्वार-कवाट-यन्त्राम्: whose door-bolts/fittings were reddish with dust
• रजः-अरुण-द्वार-कवाट-यन्त्राम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रजस् (प्रातिपदिक) + अरुण (प्रातिपदिक) + द्वार (प्रातिपदिक) + कवाट (प्रातिपदिक) + यन्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः (तत्पुरुष) विशेषणरूपेण पुरीम् विशेषयति

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव; पूर्वकालिकक्रिया (having seen)

• पुरीम्: the city
• पुरीम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• इन्द्रपुर-प्रकाशाम्: shining like Indra's city
• इन्द्रपुर-प्रकाशाम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: इन्द्रपुर (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रकाश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः (तत्पुरुष) विशेषणम्

• दुःखेन: with grief
• दुःखेन: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुःख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन; हेतौ/साधने (by/with grief)

• सम्पूर्णतरः: more completely (overwhelmed)
• सम्पूर्णतरः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्पूर्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन; तरप्-प्रत्यय (comparative: more/very full)

• बभूव: became
• बभूव: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Context

Having witnessed many unpleasant things that had never happened before, the magnanimous Bharata who was looking cheerless and dejected entered his father's palace with his head bent down.ityārṣē śrīmadrāmāyaṇē vālmīkīya ādikāvyē ayōdhyākāṇḍē ēkasaptatitamassargaḥ৷৷Thus ends the seventyfirst sarga in Ayodhyakanda of the holy Ramayana, the first epic composed by sage Valmiki.

Characters & Entities

• Bharata
• Ayodhya

FAQs

What is the core ethical principle (Dharma) in this verse?

Dharma is linked with prosperity and order; the city’s decay symbolizes the ethical rupture caused by broken truth and disrupted rightful kingship.

What is the narrative situation?

The narrator describes Bharata’s emotional response as he sees Ayodhya’s former splendor replaced by abandonment and dust.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Grief rooted in loyalty—Bharata’s sorrow arises from reverence for his father’s realm and the ideal of righteous rule.