Valmiki Ramayana 2.39.1-2: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 39, Shlokas 1-2
एकोनचत्वारिंशः सर्गः · Dasaratha’s Lament, Sumantra’s Commission, and Sita’s Vow of Marital Dharma
Narrated by ValmikiSetting: Ayodhya palace (royal chambers/assembly)Places named: Ayodhya (implied)
रामस्य तु वचः शृत्वा मुनिवेशधरं च तम् ।
समीक्ष्य सह भार्याभी राजा विगतचेतनः ॥१॥
नैनं दुःखेन सन्तप्तः प्रत्यवैक्षत राघवम् ।
न चैनमभिसम्प्रेक्ष्य प्रत्यभाषत दुर्मनाः ॥२॥
rāmasya tu vacaḥ śrutvā muniveśadharaṃ ca tam |
samīkṣya saha bhāryābhi rājā vigatacetanaḥ ||1||
na enaṃ duḥkhena santaptaḥ pratyavaikṣata rāghavam |
na cainam abhisamprekṣya pratyabhāṣata durmanāḥ ||2||
राम की बात सुन के राजा बेहाल हो गया। राम को रिशि के कपड़े में देख के राजा और उसकी पत्नियाँ बेहोश हो गईं। दुख से तड़पता हुआ दशरथ राम को देख भी नहीं पा रहा था। जब देखा भी तो कुछ बोल नहीं पाया।
Sandhi Notes
- श्रुत्वा (शृत्वा→श्रुत्वा)
- मुनिवेशधरं च तम् (…धरं + च)
- भार्याभी→भार्याभिः
- विगतचेतनः = विगत-चेतनः (समास)
After hearing Rama and beholding him in the robes of an ascetic, Dasaratha and his wives fell unconscious. With his body and mind afflicted with grief, Dasaratha could not look Rama in the face nor could he make a reply.
The teaching
Even righteous vows can precipitate suffering; steadfastness in dharma may demand unbearable personal sacrifice.
Duties in tension
- Daśaratha’s duty to keep his promise/boons vs duty to protect and enthrone his righteous son
- Rāma’s filial obedience vs rightful kingship
- Ethical theme
- Satya-vrata vs putra-dharma/raja-dharma tension
- How it resolves
- Submission to vow (tragic compliance)
For your practice
Meditation on impermanence and the cost of attachment; encourages śama and surrender amid unavoidable duty.
Mood and themes
- Rasa
- Karuna (compassion), with Shanta (peace)
- Mood
- Heartbroken, stunned, helpless
Themes
- Dharma
- Satya
- Grief
- Renunciation imagery
- Itihasa
Grief arises from saṅga/abhimāna; the scene dramatizes how identification with roles (father/king) overwhelms buddhi.
Śoka as that which is crossed by knowledge/steadiness (śoka-taraṇa motif); contrast between external renunciation (veśa) and inner turmoil.
- Rama and Dasharatha
- Son’s announcement vs father’s collapse (tragic)
Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.39.2 (paired continuation: inability to look and speak); Mahābhārata (Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s grief episodes—parallels of paternal helplessness); Rāmacaritamānasa Ayodhyākāṇḍa (Daśaratha’s collapse on hearing exile)
Smṛti/Itihāsa motif: king’s body mirrors kingdom’s distress
Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.18–2.20 (boons and decision); Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.40+ (Daśaratha’s lament and death trajectory)
Anuṣṭup (śloka)
Grieving
Manda-gati with lowered niṣāda touches; pauses after key compounds (muniveśadharam, vigatacetanah)
FAQs
The verse underscores the human cost of dharma-bound decisions: even righteous adherence to truth can produce unbearable grief, testing the moral and emotional endurance of leaders and families.
Rāma has assumed ascetic dress for exile; Daśaratha, overwhelmed, collapses with his queens and becomes unable to meet Rāma’s gaze or speak.
Rāma’s renunciant resolve is implied by the ascetic garb, while Daśaratha’s paternal attachment and vulnerability are foregrounded through his collapse.
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