Valmiki Ramayana 2.76.13: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 76, Shloka 13
दशरथस्य अन्त्येष्टि
विधानम् · Dasaratha’s Funeral Rites and Ayodhya’s Mourning
Setting: Ayodhyā, within/near the royal agnyāgāra (fire-sanctuary)
ये त्वग्नयो नरेन्द्रेस्य चाग्न्यगाराद्बहिष्कृताः ।
ऋत्विग्भिर्याजकैश्चैव ते आह्रियन्त यथाविधि ॥१३॥
ye tv agnayo narendrasya cāgnyagārād bahiṣkṛtāḥ |
ṛtvigbhir yājakaiś caiva te āhriyanta yathā-vidhi ||13||
राजा के लिए जो अग्नि थे, वो अग्नि-घर से बाहर निकाले गए। पंडित और उनके साथी सबने सही तरीके से उन्हे उठाया और सजाया।
Sandhi Notes
- त्वग्नयः = तु + अग्नयः (u+a→va/व; here written tv)
- चाग्न्यगारात् = च + अग्न्यगारात्
- ऋत्विग्भिर्याजकैः = ऋत्विग्भिः + याजकैः (i+y)
- चैव = च + एव (a+e→ai)।
The sacrificial fire of the king has been put outside the fire-sanctuary in accordance with the ritual precepts and were withdrawn by the attendants and priests well-versed in Vedic lore.
The teaching
Even in mourning, sacred procedure is preserved; dharma is maintained through 'yathāvidhi' action.
- Ethical theme
- Saṃskāra-dharma / ritual propriety
For your practice
Attention to vidhi and sacred stewardship—careful handling of one’s ‘inner fire’ (discipline) during transitions.
Mood and themes
- Rasa
- Karuna (compassion), with Shanta (peace)
- Mood
- Ritual exactness, somber order, sacred transition
Themes
- Dharma
- Itihasa
- Ethics
- Vedic ritual procedure
- Sacred fire
- Funeral preparations
Agni as symbol of transformative knowledge—burning the perishable; ritual order reflecting inner discipline.
Agni as a leading principle in Vedic/Upaniṣadic imagery (e.g., inner fire/tejas), and as carrier of offerings—here marking the final saṃskāra.
- Yājaka and Ṛtvij
- Assistants supporting officiants in prescribed procedure (cooperative focus)
- Dasharatha and Agnyagāra
- Householder-king’s maintained sacred fires now moved for antyeṣṭi context (solemn transition)
Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.76.16-17 (pyre materials and placement); Gṛhya-sūtras: antyeṣṭi sections describing agni handling and procedure
Vedic agni-cult and śrauta/gṛhya ritual continuity
Ayodhyākāṇḍa: Daśaratha’s maintained royal fires as part of his dharmic kingship
Anuṣṭup
Solemn
Steady, low register with clear caesura; emphasis on 'yathāvidhi'
FAQs
Dharma includes fidelity to prescribed sacred procedures; orderly ritual action expresses satya as exactness and integrity in communal religious duty.
Ritual personnel prepare the king’s sacred fires for the funeral rites by moving them from the fire-sanctuary according to rule.
Collective discipline and reverence: priests and attendants uphold tradition through careful, rule-bound conduct.
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