Valmiki Ramayana 2.110.9: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 110, Shloka 9
लोकसमुत्पत्ति-वर्णनम् तथा इक्ष्वाकुवंश-प्रशंसा
Cosmogony and Ikshvaku Genealogy as Counsel to Rama
Spoken by Vasistha to RamaSetting: Ayodhyā
विकुक्षेस्तु महातेजा बाणः पुत्र प्रतापवान् ।
बाणस्य तु महाबाहुरनरण्यो महातपाः ॥९॥
vikukṣes tu mahātejā bāṇaḥ putraḥ pratāpavān |
bāṇasya tu mahābāhur anaraṇyo mahātapāḥ ||9||
विकुक्षि का बेटा बाण हुआ। वो बड़ा तेज था और उसमें बहुत ताकत थी। फिर बाण का बेटा अनरण्य हुआ। वो भी बहुत ताकतवाला था और अपने काम में पक्का था।
Sandhi Notes
- महाबाहुरनरण्यो = महाबाहुः अनरण्यः
The son of Vikukshi was highly energetic and powerful Bana and to him was born the mighty-armed Anaranya of great renown.
The teaching
Ideal kingship integrates tejas (power) with tapas (discipline); might becomes dharmic when governed by restraint.
- Ethical theme
- Rājadharma / self-discipline
For your practice
Encourages tapas as a stabilizer of power and ambition; useful for personal vows and self-regulation practices.
Mood and themes
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism), with Shanta (peace)
- Mood
- Martial, austere, lineage-proud
Themes
- Itihasa
- Genealogy
- Kingship
- Dharma
- Tapas
Tejas as inner luminosity arising from sattva and tapas; true strength is self-mastery.
Kaṭha Upaniṣad 1.2.23 (Self not attained by mere intellect; implies discipline)—tapas as a means of refinement; also Muṇḍaka 3.1.5 (tapas/knowledge purify) as thematic echo.
- Vikukshi and Bāṇa
- Father–son (succession) (affirming)
- Bāṇa and Anaranya
- Father–son (heir with tapas) (admiring)
Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 1.70 (Ikṣvāku-vaṃśa mentions of heroic ancestors); Purāṇic accounts of Anaraṇya and later conflict with Rāvaṇa (varies by Purāṇa/Itihāsa tradition)
Kṣatriya ideal in Dharmaśāstra: strength yoked to restraint
Ayodhyākāṇḍa 2.110 (genealogical chain leading toward moral instruction)
Anuṣṭup
Narrative
Slightly commanding on epithets (mahātejas, mahābāhu)
FAQs
Dharma integrates power with restraint: royal might (pratāpa) is paired with tapas (discipline), suggesting strength must be governed by self-control.
The dynastic list continues, highlighting qualities of successive ancestors to characterize the moral pedigree of the line.
Tapas (austerity/self-discipline) as a virtue that legitimizes and purifies worldly authority.
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