Valmiki Ramayana 2.102.24-25: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 102, Shlokas 24-25
पितृमरणश्रवणं जलक्रिया च
Hearing of Daśaratha’s death and the libation rites at Mandākinī
Setting: Mandakini riverPlaces named: ChitrakutaExile period
ते सुतीर्थां ततः कृच्छ्रादुपागम्य यशस्विनः ।
नदीं मन्दाकिनीं रम्यां सदा पुष्पितकाननाम् ॥२४॥
शीघ्रस्रोतसमासाद्य तीर्थं शिवमकर्दमम् ।
सिषिचु स्तूदकं राज्ञे तत एतद् भवत्विति ॥२५॥
te sutīrthāṃ tataḥ kṛcchrādupāgamya yaśasvinaḥ |
nadīṃ mandākinīṃ ramyāṃ sadā puṣpitakānanām ||24||
śīghrasrotasamāsādya tīrthaṃ śivamakardamam |
siṣicu stūdakaṃ rājñe tata etad bhavatviti ||25||
वो दोनों भाई मुश्किल से मंदाकिनी नदी तक गए। नदी बहुत तेज़ बह रही थी, और दोनों तरफ फूल थे। वहाँ से उन्होंने अपने पिता के लिए पानी छिड़का और कहा कि यह आपका हो।
Sandhi Notes
- जलपूरितमञ्जलिम् = जल-पूृतम्-अञ्जलिम्
- याम्यामभिमुखो = याम्याम् + अभिमुखः
- रुदन्वचनम् = रुदन् + वचनम्
- वचनमब्रवीत् = वचनम् + अब्रवीत्
The illustrious brothers approached with great difficulty the swift-flowing and enchanting river Mandakini which had convenient descent and endowed with forests always in bloom. They descended at an auspicious place that was not slushy and offered libations of water saying 'O father, let these offerings be yours'.
The teaching
Pitru-dharma continues regardless of circumstances; the son's duty to offer libations to ancestors is eternal
- Ethical theme
- Pitru-dharma
Devotion and practice
Illustrates the sacred duty of ancestral rites and the continuity of dharma across generations
- Mantra
- tat etad bhavatu iti
Mood and themes
- Rasa
- Karuna (compassion), with Shanta (peace)
- Mood
- Filial piety, ritual devotion, sacred offering
Themes
- Dharma
- Antyeshti
- Pitr Paksha
- Death Rituals
- Filial Duty
- Sacred Rivers
Offering water to ancestors represents the jiva's connection to the lineage of existence and the cosmic cycle
The tarpana ritual echoes Katha Upanishad's teaching on the sacred connection between the living and the departed
- Bharata and Dasharatha
- Son-father
- Shatrughna and Dasharatha
- Son-father
Ramacharitamanas 2.312 (tarpana for Dasaratha)
Vedic shraddha rituals
2.102.26-30 (completion of rites); 2.103.1 (Bharata's request to Rama)
Anuṣṭup
Solemn
Nishada
FAQs
The verse illustrates pitru dharma (filial duty) - the sacred obligation of children to perform funeral rites for their parents. Despite being in exile and facing great hardship, Rama ensures proper performance of the antyeshti samskara, demonstrating that dharma must be fulfilled regardless of circumstances.
The three brothers - Rama, Lakshmana, and Bharata - proceed to the Mandakini River to perform tarpana (water libations) for their deceased father, King Dasharatha. They carefully select an appropriate spot and offer water with prayers, fulfilling their filial duty even in the forest.
The verse emphasizes the virtue of shraddha (faithful devotion) in performing sacred duties. The brothers' careful attention to finding an auspicious, clean location for the ritual shows their reverence for both the ceremony and their father's memory, exemplifying that ritual performance requires both outer propriety and inner devotion.
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