Valmiki Ramayana 2.77.25: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 77, Shloka 25
और्ध्वदैहिकक्रिया-शोकविलापः
Obsequies for Daśaratha and the Brothers’ Lament
Setting: Ayodhyā (implied, royal funeral context)
उत्थितौ च नरव्याघ्रौ प्रकाशेते यशस्विनौ ॥२५॥
वर्षातपपरिक्लिनौ पृथगिन्द्रध्वजाविव ।
utthitau ca naravyāghrau prakāśete yaśasvinau ||25||
varṣātapapariklinau pṛthag indra-dhvajāv iva |
അവർ ഇരുവരും നരവ്യാഘ്രന്മാരായ യശസ്വികൾ എഴുന്നേറ്റപ്പോൾ ദീപ്തമായി പ്രകാശിച്ചു; എങ്കിലും മഴയും ചൂടും കൊണ്ടു ക്ഷീണിച്ച്, വേർതിരിഞ്ഞുനിൽക്കുന്ന ഇന്ദ്രധ്വജങ്ങളെപ്പോലെ തോന്നി.
Sandhi Notes
- पृथगिन्द्रध्वजाविव = पृथक् + इन्द्रध्वजौ + इव
Having risen from the earth both the illustrious tigers among men, Bharata and Satrughna looked faded and weather beaten like the banners of Indra that had faded under the Sun and rain.
The teaching
Even in intense bereavement, one must uphold prescribed duties; endurance dignifies grief.
Duties in tension
- Personal grief and collapse into mourning
- Kṣatriya duty to maintain composure and proceed with royal/funeral obligations
- Ethical theme
- Svadharma (role-duty) and śauca/antyeṣṭi obligations
- How it resolves
- Duty-over-emotion (ritual and public responsibility proceed despite sorrow)
For your practice
Contemplation on impermanence and steadiness (dhairya) amid loss; supports śoka-śamana through dharma-aligned action.
Mood and themes
- Rasa
- Karuna (compassion), with Vira (heroism)
- Mood
- Weathered, dignified, grief-shadowed
Themes
- Itihasa
- Dharma
- Śoka (grief)
- Anitya (impermanence)
- Rājadharma (royal duty)
The contrast of inner glory and outer wear mirrors the Self (ātman) untouched by conditions while the body-mind bears saṃsāric afflictions.
Kaṭha Upaniṣad’s distinction between the enduring inner principle and the perishable outer frame (śarīra) is suggested by ‘shining yet weather-worn’.
- Bharata and Shatrughna
- Brothers; co-mourners (compassionate)
- Bharata and Dasharatha
- Son mourning father (implied context of funeral) (sorrowful)
- Shatrughna and Dasharatha
- Son mourning father (implied) (sorrowful)
Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.77.26 (continuation: tears and rites); Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.70–2.76 (Bharata’s return and discovery of Daśaratha’s death)
Ṛgveda: Indra-dhvaja/ketu imagery broadly associated with royal standards and victory
Ayodhyākāṇḍa funeral sequence for Daśaratha (2.76–2.78)
Anuṣṭup (śloka)
Solemn
Mandra-niṣāda to madhyama, with gentle kampita on grief-bearing words
FAQs
Dharma here is implicit: even the most illustrious must endure hardship and continue their duty; grief and physical decline do not annul responsibility.
After Daśaratha’s death rites, Bharata and Śatrughna rise, visibly worn by mourning and exposure, described through the simile of weather-beaten Indra-banners.
Endurance and steadiness—royal sons who remain present for rites and obligations despite sorrow and fatigue.
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