Valmiki Ramayana 2.97.25: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 97, Shloka 25
भरतागमनशङ्कानिवारणम् / Dispelling Suspicion about Bharata’s Arrival
Chitrakuta Encampment
Spoken by Lakṣmaṇa to RamaSetting: Forest vantage overlooking the front of an approaching host (vāhinī-mukha)Exile-period; observing the vanguard of a royal force
स एष सुमहाकायः कम्पते वाहिनीमुखे ।
नागश्शत्रुञ्जयो नाम वृद्धस्तातस्य धीमतः ॥२५॥
sa eṣa sumahākāyaḥ kampate vāhinīmukhe |
nāgaḥ śatruñjayo nāma vृद्धas tātasya dhīmataḥ ||25||
देखो सेना के आगे बड़ा हाथी चल रहा है। झूमता हुआ चल रहा है। उसका नाम शत्रुंजय है। यह बूढ़ा हाथी हमारे समझदार पिता का है।
Sandhi Notes
- नागश्शत्रुञ्जयः → नागः शत्रुञ्जयः
- वृद्धस्तातस्य → वृद्धः तातस्य
- वाहिनीमुखे is a tatpuruṣa compound (वाहिन्याः मुखे)
There is that huge and aged elephant named Satrunjaya which belogns to our sagacious father proceeding at the head of the army.
The teaching
Power and authority announce themselves through signs; discernment lies in reading them without haste.
- Ethical theme
- Statecraft/observation
For your practice
Contemplation on the weight of worldly power and its aging—supporting dispassion (vairāgya).
Mood and themes
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism), with Adbhuta (wonder)
- Mood
- Martial, imposing, ominous
Themes
- Itihasa
- Royal-insignia
- Dharma
- Maryada
- Kingship
The ‘huge body’ (mahākāya) underscores the distinction between the perishable body and enduring agency; power is contingent and time-worn.
Chāndogya’s meditation on name and form (nāma-rūpa) is suggested by the elephant’s named identity carrying meaning.
- Lakshmana and Dasharatha
- Son-father; recognition of father’s royal assets (respectful)
- Dasharatha and Shatrunjaya
- King and royal war-elephant; possession/stewardship (proud-protective)
- Lakshmana and Shatrunjaya
- Observer to martial symbol; identification (alert-admiring)
- Rama and Lakshmana
- Brothers; shared recognition of approaching host (focused)
Mahābhārata (gaja descriptions at army fronts; named elephants as royal insignia); Purāṇic royal-procession tropes (gaja leading retinues)
Vedic/epic convention of naming war-animals with victory-epithets
Ayodhyākāṇḍa: catalog of royal emblems used to infer whose party approaches
Anuṣṭup (śloka)
Commanding
Lower register emphasis to convey the elephant’s weight; steady tempo
FAQs
Dharma of truthful reporting: Lakṣmaṇa identifies concrete signs (the king’s elephant) to ground decisions in reliable evidence.
Lakṣmaṇa recognizes a distinctive royal elephant at the head of the approaching force, linking it to Daśaratha.
Practical intelligence and loyalty—he knows the royal insignia and communicates it to Rāma.
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