Valmiki Ramayana 2.55.6-7: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 55, Shlokas 6-7
चित्रकूटमार्गोपदेशः · Instructions for the Chitrakuta Route and the Yamuna Crossing
Spoken by Guha to Rama and LakshmanaSetting: Near a great banyan on the route toward CitrakūṭaPlaces named: न्यग्रोध (banyan)Way-station/landmark pause during forestward travel
ततो न्यग्रोधमासाद्य महान्तं हरितच्छदम् ॥६॥
विवृद्धं बहुभिर्वृक्षै श्श्यामं सिद्धोपसेवितम् ।
तस्मै सीताञ्जलिं कृत्वा प्रयुञ्जीताशिषश्शिवाः ॥७॥
tato nyagrodham āsādya mahāntaṃ haritacchadam ||6||
vivṛddhaṃ bahubhir vṛkṣaiḥ śyāmaṃ siddhopasevitam |
tasmai sītāñjaliṃ kṛtvā prayuñjītāśiṣaḥ śivāḥ ||7||
फिर उस बड़े बरगद पेड़ तक पहुँचोगे, हरिये पत्तों से भरा। वो पेड़ काला और घना है, सिद्ध लोग वहाँ रहते हैं। सीता को हाथ जोड़के प्रार्थना करनी चाहिए। अच्छा आशीर्वाद मिलेगा।
Sandhi Notes
- nyagrōdhamāsādya → nyagrodham āsādya
- haritacchadam (cch from t + ch)
- siddhōpasēvitam → siddha-upasevitam
- sītāñjaliṃ → sītā añjalim
- prayuñjītāśiṣaśśivāḥ → prayuñjīta āśiṣaḥ śivāḥ
There you will find a large, banyan tree with its lush green leaves, looking dark with its densely grown trees. It is inhabited by siddhas. Sita should offer with folded palms invocations for her well-being.
The teaching
Auspicious beginnings and reverence to sanctified nature support righteous travel and inner steadiness.
- Ethical theme
- Ācāra / maṅgala-kriyā
Devotion and practice
Reinforces bhakti through simple gestures; encourages pausing to sanctify transitions with prayer.
- Deity praised
- Vṛkṣa-devatā / sacred nyagrodha; auspiciousness (śiva)
- Form of praise
- Vandana (salutation)
Mood and themes
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace), with Adbhuta (wonder)
- Mood
- Sacral, still, benedictory
Themes
- Dharma
- Maryada
- Itihasa
- Ethics
The nyagrodha as symbol of the subtle cause containing the vast effect; the seeker’s gesture (añjali) as ego-softening prerequisite for insight.
Chāndogya Upaniṣad 6.12–6.13 (nyagrodha-bīja) as a cultural echo behind banyan symbolism.
Same as 2.55.6 (this verse repeats the instruction verbatim in the prompt)
Upaniṣadic nyagrodha symbolism (Chāndogya)
Ayodhyākāṇḍa 2.55 itinerary instructions
Anuṣṭup (śloka)
Solemn
Mandra-to-madhya, soft cadence on ‘aśiṣaḥ śivāḥ’
FAQs
Respect for sanctified places and disciplined prayerful conduct, especially in exile, preserving inner steadiness and auspicious intention.
A repeated transmission of the instruction about the sacred banyan: it functions as a devotional landmark on the route.
Devotion (bhakti) and humility (vinaya) in Sītā’s demeanor.
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