Valmiki Ramayana 2.14.44: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 14, Shloka 44
सत्यपाशः · Kaikeyi’s Demand and the Noose of the King’s Promise
Narrated by ValmikiSetting: Ayodhyā palace gate/threshold to the king’s chambersPlaces named: Ayodhyā
तं तु पूर्वोदितं वृध्दं द्वारस्था राज सम्मतम् ॥४४॥
न शेकुरभिसंरोध्दुं राज्ञः प्रियचिकीर्षवः ।
taṃ tu pūrvoditaṃ vṛdhdaṃ dvārasthā rāja sammatam ||44||
na śekurabhisaṃrodhduṃ rājñaḥ priyacikīrṣavaḥ |
दरवाज़े पे जो गार्ड थे, वो राजा के खुश रहने वाले थे। लेकिन वो सुमंत्र को रोका नहीं कर सकते थे। सुमंत्र बुढ़ा था, पहले से वहीं था, और राजा को पसंद था।
Sandhi Notes
- वृध्दं → वृद्धं (वर्तनी)
- द्वारस्था → द्वारस्थाः
- राज सम्मतम् → राजसम्मतम्
- शेकुरभिसंरोध्दुं → शेकुः अभिसंरोद्धुम् (विसर्ग/उकार-सन्धि; धातु-रूप: रोध्दुम्→रोद्धुम्)
The doorkeepers, beloved wellwishers of the king, did not detain aged Sumantra who was liked by the king and who had arrived early.
The teaching
In royal service, protocol yields to higher responsibility when a trusted elder’s duty to the sovereign is urgent.
Duties in tension
- Doorkeepers’ duty to regulate access and protect the king’s privacy
- Sumantra’s duty as trusted elder-attendant to reach the king promptly
- Ethical theme
- Rāja-dharma / sevā-dharma
- How it resolves
- Hierarchy_of_dharma (trusted elder’s access overrides routine protocol)
For your practice
Cultivates humility and disciplined service; reminds that access to the ‘inner chamber’ requires trust and purity of intent.
Mood and themes
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace), with Karuna (compassion)
- Mood
- Hushed, dutiful, foreboding
Themes
- Dharma
- Maryada
- Itihasa
- Ethics
- Royal protocol
- Service and loyalty
The ‘gate’ as liminal boundary between outer action and inner suffering; the jīva’s access to the ‘inner king’ (antaryāmin) is mediated by discipline and fitness.
Antaryāmin-brāhmaṇa motif (inner ruler unseen) in spirit: the king’s inner state is hidden though outwardly approached.
- Sumantra and Dasharatha
- Royal minister/charioteer and king; trusted attendant (devotional)
Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.14.45-46 (immediate continuation: entry and praise); Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.12-2.13 (Daśaratha’s distress preceding this scene)
Mahābhārata: court protocol scenes where trusted elders bypass guards (general parallel)
Ayodhyākāṇḍa: repeated motif of ‘king’s beloved attendants’ and restricted access to the inner apartments
Anuṣṭup
Narrative
Madhyama-gati, restrained udātta emphasis on ‘राजसम्मतम्’
FAQs
Dharma here is loyal service within rightful hierarchy: attendants act in accordance with the king’s wishes and established trust, not merely rigid obstruction.
Sumantra arrives early at the palace and is allowed to pass the doorkeepers to approach King Daśaratha.
The doorkeepers’ loyal discretion (knowing whom to admit) and Sumantra’s respected standing earned through faithful service.
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