Shloka 30
द्विचत्वारिंशः सर्गः — दशरथस्य शोक-विलापः तथा कौशल्यागृह-प्रवेशः
Dasaratha’s Lament and Return to Kausalya’s Apartments
पुत्रद्वयविहीनं च स्नुषयापि विवर्जितम्।अपश्यद्भवनं राजा नष्टचन्द्रमिवाम्बरम्।।।।
putradvayavihīnaṃ ca snuṣayāpi vivarjitam | apaśyad bhavanaṃ rājā naṣṭacandram ivāmbaram ||
Raja memandang istana itu—ditinggalkan oleh kedua-dua puteranya, bahkan juga oleh menantu perempuannya—bagaikan langit yang kehilangan bulan.
O Kausalya, my sight that had followed Rama has not yet returned. I cannot see you clearly. Please touch me with your hand.
FAQs
The verse indirectly underscores dharma’s cost: righteous choices (Rāma’s adherence to truth and duty) can produce profound worldly suffering for those left behind, yet dharma remains the axis around which the narrative turns.
After Rāma, Lakṣmaṇa, and Sītā have departed, Daśaratha confronts the emptiness of the palace and is overwhelmed by the absence of his beloved family.
Rāma’s steadfastness to dharma is implied by the consequence: his departure creates the ‘moonless sky’ of Ayodhyā for Daśaratha.