Valmiki Ramayana 2.68.17: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 68, Shloka 17
दूतप्रेषणम् · Dispatch of Messengers to Kekaya
Bharata’s Recall
Setting: आभिकाल (Ābhikāla) तथा इक्षुमती-तीर/तरण-स्थलPlaces named: आभिकाल, बोधिभवन, इक्षुमतीMessengers’ overland route toward Girivraja
आभिकालं ततः प्राप्य ते बोधिभवनाच्च्युताम् ।
पितृपैतामहीं पुण्यां तेरुरिक्षुमतीं नदीम् ॥१७॥
ābhikālaṃ tataḥ prāpya te bodhibhavanāccyutām |
pitṛpaitāmahīṃ puṇyāṃ terur ikṣumatīṃ nadīm ||17||
वहाँ से वो आभिकाला पहुंचे। इक्षुमती नदी थी वहाँ, जो बोधिभवन से आती है। यह नदी बहुत पवित्र है। दशरथ के बाप-दादा की भी यह पसंद थी। उस नदी को पार कर लिया।
Sandhi Notes
- बोधिभवनाच्च्युताम् = बोधिभवनात् + च्युताम्
- तेरुरिक्षुमतीं = तेरुः + इक्षुमतीम्
From there they reached a village known as Abhikala and crossed the sacred Ikshumati flowing from Bodhibhavana mountain. This region was enjoyed by fathers and forefathers of Dasaratha.
The teaching
Sacred geography and ancestral inheritance are treated as living supports of rājadhrama; the journey itself moves through spaces sanctified by lineage and merit.
- Ethical theme
- Rājadharma / kula-dharma
For your practice
Smaraṇa of tīrtha and pitṛ-paramparā as supports for śraddhā and steadiness in duty.
Mood and themes
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder), with Shanta (peace)
- Mood
- Auspicious, ancestral, journeying
Themes
- Dharma
- Itihasa
- Ancestral-Lineage
- Sacred-Geography
Crossing a river as saṃsāra-taraṇa; holding to kula-dharma as sustaining order (ṛta).
Tīrtha/crossing imagery resonates with ‘tarati śokam’ motifs (crossing beyond sorrow) found across Upaniṣadic idiom, though not a direct quotation.
Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.68.17 (contextual numbering variant for this pāṭha)
tīrtha-crossing and sacred rivers as purifying agents (Vedic river praise tradition broadly)
Ayodhyākāṇḍa: messenger-journey sequence to Girivraja (2.68–2.69)
Anuṣṭup (śloka)
Narrative
Madhyama-gati, even cadence with slight lift on place-names
FAQs
Dharma is continuity with ancestral responsibility: sacred landscapes and inherited realms are remembered as trusts passed through generations.
The messengers move through notable places—reaching Ābhikāla and crossing the Ikṣumatī river that arises from Bodhibhavana.
Reverent awareness of lineage and sacred space while performing one’s duty.
Ask anything about this verse
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
A free sign-in with Google or Apple keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Valmiki Ramayana in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with word-by-word meanings, Sanskrit recitation where available, and more.
