Valmiki Ramayana 2.64.69: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 64, Shloka 69
शब्दवेध्य-अनर्थः, ऋषिशापः, दशरथस्य प्राणत्यागः
The Sound-Target Tragedy, the Sage’s Curse, and Dasaratha’s Death
Spoken by Dasharatha to KausalyaSetting: Ayodhyā palace (speech from deathbed)Places named: Ayodhyā (implied return)Projected future: Rāma’s return after exile
न ते मनुष्या देवास्ते ये चारुशुभकुण्डलम् ।
मुखं द्रक्ष्यन्ति रामस्य वर्षे पञ्चदशे पुनः ॥६९॥
na te manuṣyā devās te ye cāruśubhakuṇḍalam |
mukhaṃ drakṣyanti rāmasya varṣe pañcadaśe punaḥ ||69||
പതിനഞ്ചാം വർഷത്തിൽ വീണ്ടും മടങ്ങിവരുന്ന രാമന്റെ—സുന്ദരവും മംഗളകരവുമായ കുണ്ഡലങ്ങളാൽ അലങ്കൃതമായ—മുഖം ദർശിക്കുന്നവർ സാധാരണ മനുഷ്യരല്ല; അവർ ദേവസമാനരാണ്.
Sandhi Notes
- सन्धि-विच्छेदः: देवाः + ते → देवास्ते
- च + आरुशुभकुण्डलम् → चारुशुभकुण्डलम्
- मुखम् + द्रक्ष्यन्ति → मुखं द्रक्ष्यन्ति (म्→ं परे द्)
Those who will behold Rama's countenance adorned with auspicious ear-rings on his return in the fifteenth year are gods not men.
The teaching
Darśana of the dharmic hero is itself a blessing; the righteous elevate society, making ordinary people partake of the divine.
- Ethical theme
- Satsaṅga/puṇya through association with dharma
Devotion and practice
Rāma-darśana-bhāvanā: meditate on the auspicious form to cultivate bhakti and hope amid separation.
- Deity praised
- Rāma
- Form of praise
- Stuti (a hymn of praise)
- Mantra
- cāru-śubha-kuṇḍalaṃ mukhaṃ rāmasya
Mood and themes
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder), with Karuna (compassion)
- Mood
- Beatific vision, future hope, exalting praise
Themes
- Dharma
- Itihasa
- Longing
- Exile
- Divinization of virtue
Vision of the satpuruṣa is elevating; proximity to dharmic being refines the seer’s mind (satsaṅga).
Idea that the luminous person (puruṣa) is to be beheld/known; here aesthetic darśana becomes spiritual elevation.
- Dasharatha and Rama
- Father-son; idealizing son’s future return and beauty (Karuṇa mixed with Adbhuta (awe))
- Humans and Devas
- Comparative elevation through sacred sight (Adbhuta (wonder))
Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.64.65-68
Bhakti darśana motif in Purāṇas (seeing the Lord makes one ‘like a godhā); Rāmacaritamānasa: Ayodhyā-kāṇḍa themes of Rāma’s auspicious beauty and the blessedness of his darśana (broad parallel)
Ayodhyākāṇḍa: exile duration and promised return; later fulfillment in Yuddha/Uttara narrative arcs
Anuṣṭubh
Reverential, prophetic
Madhyama-udātta lift on ‘devās tē’; gentle resolve at ‘punar’
FAQs
It honors steadfast dharma: enduring exile faithfully is so elevating that witnessing the dharmic hero’s return is treated as a near-divine privilege.
Daśaratha, knowing he will not live to see it, imagines Rama’s eventual return and praises those who will witness it.
Rama’s constancy and auspiciousness—his moral radiance is depicted as worthy of divine comparison.
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.
