Valmiki Ramayana 2.43.10: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 43, Shloka 10
कौशल्याविलापः · Kausalya’s Lament and the Vision of Rama’s Return
Spoken by Kausalya to DasharathaSetting: Ayodhyā
श्रृत्वैवोपस्थितौ वीरौ कदायोध्या भविष्यति ।
यशस्विनी हृष्टजना सूच्छ्रितध्वजमालिनी ॥१०॥
śrutvaivopasthitau vīrau kadāyodhyā bhaviṣyati |
yaśasvinī hṛṣṭajanā sūcchritadhvajamālinī ||10||
कब अयोध्या फिर से शान से चमकेगी? कब ऐसा होगा कि लोग सिर्फ सुनें कि दोनों वीर वापस आ गए, और खुशी से झूम उठें? शहर के ऊपर झंडे लगे होंगे, सब खुश होंगे।
Sandhi Notes
- śrṛtvaivōpasthitau = śrutvā + eva + upasthitau
- kadāyोध्या = kadā + ayodhyā
- sūcchrita- = su + ucchrita
When will the city of Ayodhya attain that glory when having heard that both the brave brothers have come back the people will rejoice and fill it with uplifted banners?
The teaching
Even when dharma demands painful separation, the community’s hope is anchored in the eventual restoration of righteous order.
Duties in tension
- Pitr̥-vākya-pālana (Rāma’s obedience to father’s command) vs prajā-hita/rajya-śrī (Ayodhya’s welfare and stability)
- Mātṛ-hṛdaya (mother’s longing) vs kṣānti (forbearance in adversity)
- Ethical theme
- Rājadharma / family-duty tension
- How it resolves
- Deferred (awaited return)
For your practice
Cultivates smṛti and śravaṇa-bhāva: holding the dharmic ideal in mind and letting hopeful remembrance steady grief.
Mood and themes
- Rasa
- Karuna (compassion), with Adbhuta (wonder)
- Mood
- Yearning, anticipatory, civic-joy
Themes
- Dharma
- Satya
- Hope
- Royal prosperity
- Public joy
- Separation (viraha)
- Itihasa
The city’s joy on mere hearing mirrors śravaṇa as a first step toward inner transformation; the return of the dharmic hero functions as the return of sattva/order to the polis-mind.
Śravaṇa as a liberative means (śravaṇa–manana–nididhyāsana motif) is faintly echoed through ‘śrutvaiva’ (on hearing alone).
- Kausalya and Rama
- Mother-son (separation/longing) (Karuṇā)
- Kausalya and Lakshmana
- Mother-figure to son’s brother (protective longing) (Karuṇā)
- Ayodhya and Rama
- Subjects to rightful prince (public affection) (Śṛṅgāra). Sacred capital to dharmic protector (restoration) (Śānta)
- Ayodhya and Lakshmana
- Subjects to royal hero (admiration) (Vīra)
Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.43.11 (sea-tide simile continues the civic rejoicing motif); Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.42 (Kaushalyā’s lament/longing context)
Purāṇic descriptions of auspicious city-decoration with dhvajas during royal processions (general)
Ayodhyākāṇḍa: repeated ‘kada’ anaphora in 2.43 as lament-structure
Anuṣṭup
Grieving
Madhyama-gati with gentle kampita on ‘kada’ and uplift on ‘hṛṣṭa’
FAQs
It reflects rājaḍharma’s social dimension: the rightful presence of a dhārmic prince brings collective well-being, morale, and civic harmony—Ayodhyā’s joy is tied to righteous leadership.
Kausalyā, grieving and yearning, imagines the auspicious scene of Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa returning and the city celebrating.
Kausalyā’s steadfast love and hope, alongside her recognition of Rāma’s role as a source of public welfare.
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