Ramayana — Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 15, Shloka 47
अभिषेकसज्जा तथा सुमन्त्रस्य प्रेषणम्
Coronation Preparations and Sumantra’s Commission
ततो महामेघमहीधराभं प्रभिन्नमत्यङ्कुशमत्यसह्यम्।रामौपवाह्यं रुचिरं ददर्शशत्रुञ्जयं नागमुदग्रकायम्।।2.15.47।।
tato mahāmeghamahīdharābhaṃ prabhinnam atyaṅkuśam atyasahyam |
rāmaupavāhyaṃ ruciraṃ dadarśa śatruñjayaṃ nāgam udagrakāyam || 2.15.47 ||
Kemudian ia melihat gajah gemilang bernama Śatruñjaya—bertubuh sangat besar, layak ditunggangi Rāma—laksana awan maha atau gunung; cairan musth mengalir dari pelipisnya, gelisah dan tak tergoyahkan bahkan oleh pengait (aṅkuśa).
He beheld a beautiful elephant named Satrunjaya with a huge body on which Rama was to mount. It looked like a vast mountain or a huge cloud. With ichor flowing from his temples and without caring for the goad, the elephant was intolerant.
FAQs
Dharma appears as disciplined royal order: the readiness of an appropriate royal mount symbolizes preparedness to carry out duty with dignity, while the need to manage power (the rutting elephant) hints that strength must be governed, not indulged.
The preparations include a royal elephant, Śatruñjaya, made ready as Rāma’s mount, indicating a formal and significant public movement or ceremony.
Rāma’s implied virtue of kingly propriety (maryādā): the narrative frames him as one for whom the finest royal arrangements are made, consistent with his role and responsibility.