Ramayana — Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 48, Shloka 27
अयोध्यायाः शोकवर्णनम्
Ayodhya’s Lament and Civic Desolation
ते विषं पिबतालोड्य क्षीणपुण्या स्सुदुर्गताः।राघवं वानुगच्छध्वमश्रुतिं वापि गच्छत।।2.48.27।।
te viṣaṁ pibatāloḍya kṣīṇapuṇyāḥ sudurgatāḥ |
rāghavaṁ vā ’nugacchadhvam aśrutiṁ vāpi gacchata || 2.48.27 ||
Wahai kalian yang jatuh dalam kesengsaraan seakan-akan pahala kebajikan telah habis—jika mau, minumlah racun; atau ikutilah Rāghava; atau pergilah ke tempat yang tak dikenal.
Where you are in deep trouble with merits exhausted, it is better to take poison, or follow Rama or walk into the unknown.
FAQs
It shows the psychological collapse that follows perceived adharma; the implied dharmic counterpoint is that following the righteous (Rāma) is the only meaningful path amid moral chaos.
The citizens, overwhelmed after Rāma’s exile, speak in extreme terms—death, departure, or following Rāma—revealing the depth of civic despair.
Rāma as the moral refuge: even in hopelessness, he remains the axis of trust and righteousness for the people.