Valmiki Ramayana 1.6.9: Bala Kanda, Sarga 6, Shloka 9
अयोध्यावर्णनम् · Description of Ayodhya under Daśaratha
Setting: Ayodhyā
सर्वे नराश्च नार्यश्च धर्मशीलास्सुसंयताः ।
उदिताश्शीलवृत्ताभ्यां महर्षय इवामलाः ॥९॥
sarve narāś ca nāryaś ca dharmaśīlāḥ susaṃyatāḥ |
uditāḥ śīlavṛttābhyāṃ maharṣaya iva amalāḥ ||9||
वहाँ सब लोग थे, मर्द भी और औरतें भी। सब का काम-धरम ठीक था, सब अपने आप को संभाल के रखते थे। उनका चरित्र अच्छा था, इसलिए वो बड़े रिशियों जैसे साफ दिल वाले थे।
Sandhi Notes
- धर्मशीलास्सुसंयताः = धर्मशीलाः + सुसंयताः
- उदिताश्शीलवृत्ताभ्यां = उदिताः + शीलवृत्ताभ्याम्
- इवामलाः = इव + अमलाः
- नराश्च/नार्यश्च = नराः/नार्यः + च
All men and women (in the city) were of righteous conduct, fully self-controlled and prosperous with good conduct and behaviour. They were pure like maharshis.
The teaching
A society flourishes when inner discipline (saṃyama) and good character (śīla) become common culture, making ordinary life resemble ascetic purity.
- Ethical theme
- Ācāra-dharma / social ethics
For your practice
Encourages daily practice of dama (self-restraint) and śīla as a layperson’s tapas; useful for reflecting on sāttvika living.
Mood and themes
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace), with Adbhuta (wonder)
- Mood
- Serene, pure, well-ordered
Themes
- Dharma
- Ethics
- SelfControl
- SocialOrder
- Itihasa
Sattva-guṇa predominance: purity and self-restraint reflecting a sāttvika polity; the city as an outer expression of inner discipline.
Kaṭha/Śvetāśvatara themes of indriya-nigraha (sense-control) as the basis of purity and steadiness.
Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 1.5 (Ayodhyā-varṇana cluster); Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.1-2.2 (Ayodhyā’s ordered life recalled)
Manusmṛti on śīla and dama as foundations of dharma; Ṛgveda ideal of ṛta sustaining social harmony
Bālakāṇḍa Ayodhyā-varṇana: citizens described as truthful, content, and disciplined
Anuṣṭup
Narrative
Madhyama (middle register)
FAQs
Dharma is lived as disciplined conduct (śīla-vṛtta) and self-control; societal prosperity is linked to inner restraint and purity.
The narrator continues the civic portrait of Ayodhyā, emphasizing universal moral culture across genders and social life.
Susaṃyama (self-restraint) and amalā (purity), presented as the shared virtue of the whole community.
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