Valmiki Ramayana 2.42.22: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 42, Shloka 22
द्विचत्वारिंशः सर्गः · दशरथस्य शोक-विलापः तथा कौशल्यागृह-प्रवेशः
Dasaratha’s Lament and Return to Kausalya’s Apartments
Setting: Ayodhyā (entering the city)Re-entry into Ayodhyā after seeing Rāma depart
इत्येवं विलपन् राजा जनौघेनाभिसंवृतः ।
अपस्नात इवारिष्टं प्रविवेश पुरोत्तमम् ॥२२॥
ity evaṃ vilapan rājā janaughenābhisaṃvṛtaḥ |
apasnāta ivāriṣṭaṃ praviveśa purottamam ||22||
ഇങ്ങനെ വിലപിച്ചുകൊണ്ടിരുന്ന രാജാവ് ജനക്കൂട്ടം ചുറ്റിപ്പറ്റിയിരിക്കെ, അപസ്നാതനെന്നപോലെ അശുഭലക്ഷണങ്ങളോടെ, വരാനിരിക്കുന്ന അനർത്ഥത്തിന്റെ നിഴലുമായി ശ്രേഷ്ഠനഗരത്തിലേക്ക് പ്രവേശിച്ചു.
Sandhi Notes
- इत्येवम् = इति + एवम्
- जनौघेनाभिसंवृतः = जनौघेन + अभिसंवृतः
- इवारिष्टम् = इव + अरिष्टम्
Thus the king, who looked like one after the inauspicious (funeral) bath, surroundedby streams of people entered the most beautiful city (Ayodhya) which portended misfortune.
The teaching
When the ruler+cs heart breaks, the city+cs auspiciousness dims; personal dharma and public dharma interpenetrate.
Duties in tension
- Public role of king (steadiness, auspiciousness) vs private collapse as father
- Maintaining civic morale vs expressing truthful grief
- Ethical theme
- Rājadharma under emotional catastrophe
- How it resolves
- Grief publicly manifests, foreshadowing downfall
For your practice
Meditation on impermanence of worldly auspiciousness; cultivate inner steadiness so outer omens do not rule the mind.
Mood and themes
- Rasa
- Karuna (compassion)
- Mood
- Lamenting, inauspicious, heavy
Themes
- Itihasa
- Dharma
- Satya
- Kingship
- Omen
- Public grief
Outer rites (+cbath+c) cannot cleanse inner grief; the real śauca is of mind, which here is overwhelmed by saṃskāra of loss.
Chāndogya-like contrast of outer ritual vs inner essence: the sign of +capasnāta+c points to inner turmoil rather than purification.
- Dasharatha and Citizens of Ayodhya
- King-subjects; shared mourning (collective grief, sympathy)
- Dasharatha and Rama
- Father-son separation (bereft)
Vālmīki RāmāyaŇa 2.42.23 (city described as emptied); Vālmīki RāmāyaŇa 2.67 (Ayodhyā+cs mourning after Daśaratha+cs death)
Dharmaśāstra notions of śauca/āśauca and inauspicious states (here metaphorical)
Ayodhyā-kâṇṭa: earlier festive crowds for abhiṣeka contrasted with present janaugha of grief
Anuṣṭup
Solemn, processional
Slow vilambita pacing; low register on +carīṣṭa+c and cadence on +cpurottamam+c
FAQs
A ruler’s private unrighteous crisis becomes a public wound: dharma links king and kingdom, so the monarch’s moral and emotional collapse signals disorder for society.
Daśaratha returns into Ayodhyā after the irreversible decision of Rāma’s exile, and the city’s mood mirrors the king’s grief.
The people’s solidarity and concern are emphasized—they gather around the king, reflecting civic loyalty and shared sorrow.
Ask anything about this verse
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
A free sign-in with Google or Apple keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Valmiki Ramayana in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with word-by-word meanings, Sanskrit recitation where available, and more.
