Valmiki Ramayana 2.59.29: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 59, Shloka 29

एकोनषष्ठितमः सर्गः (Sarga 59): सुमन्त्रवाक्यं, अयोध्याविषादः, दाशरथिशोकसागरः

Spoken by King Daśaratha to SumantraSetting: Ayodhyā (royal palace precincts implied)Places named: Yamaśkṣaya

Devanagari script

लोहिताक्षं महाबाहुमामुक्तमणिकुण्डलम् ।

रामं यदि न पश्येयं गमिष्यामि यमक्षयम् ॥२९॥

Recitation with translationValmiki Ramayana 2.59.29

Transliteration

lohitākṣaṃ mahābāhum āmuktamaṇikuṇḍalam |

rāmaṃ yadi na paśyeyaṃ gamiṣyāmi yamakṣayam ||29||

Translation

Jika aku tidak dapat menatap Rāma—bermata kemerah-merahan, berlengan perkasa, memakai subang bertatah permata—maka aku akan pergi ke alam Yama, kediaman maut.

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Word by Word

• लोहिताक्षम्: the red-eyed one
• Type: Noun
• Root: lohita + akṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga dvitīyā ekavacana; बहुव्रीहि—"लोहिते अक्षिणी यस्य सः" (one whose eyes are reddish)
• Role: Karma (कर्म)
• Compound: Bahuvrihi

• महाबाहुम्: the mighty-armed one
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā + bāhu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga dvitīyā ekavacana; बहुव्रीहि—"महौ बाहू यस्य"
• Role: Karma (कर्म)
• Compound: Bahuvrihi

• आमुक्तमणिकुण्डलम्: wearing gem-studded earrings
• Type: Noun
• Root: ā-mukta + maṇi + kuṇḍala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga dvitīyā ekavacana; बहुव्रीहि—"आमुक्ते मणिकुण्डले यस्य" (one who wears gem-earrings)
• Role: Karma (कर्म)
• Compound: Bahuvrihi

• रामम्: Rama
• Type: Noun
• Root: rāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga dvitīyā ekavacana
• Role: Karma (कर्म)

• यदि: if
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadi (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya conditional conjunction "if"
• Role: Sambandha (सम्बन्धः)

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya negation particle (निषेध)
• Role: Sambandha (सम्बन्धः)

• पश्येयम्: may I see
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dṛś (दृश्) (धातु)
• Form: Liṅ (लिङ्) optative, uttama-puruṣa ekavacana, parasmaipada
• Role: Kriya (क्रिया)

• गमिष्यामि: I will go
• Type: Verb
• Root: √gam (गम्) (धातु)
• Form: Lṛṭ (लृट्) simple future, uttama-puruṣa ekavacana, parasmaipada
• Role: Kriya (क्रिया)

• यमक्षयम्: to Yama's abode
• Type: Noun
• Root: yama + kṣaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga dvitīyā ekavacana; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष—"यमस्य क्षयः" (abode/realm of Yama)
• Role: Gati/Karma (गति/कर्म)
• Compound: Tatpurusha

Sandhi Notes

• महाबाहुमामुक्तमणिकुण्डलम् = महाबाहुम् + आमुक्तमणिकुण्डलम्

Context

If I cannot see Rama of red-coloured eyes, the mighty-armed one and wearing earrings bedecked with precious stones I shall surely go to the abode of Yama, the god of death.

The teaching

Unruled grief can eclipse rājadharma; attachment makes separation feel like death, urging cultivation of steadiness (dhairya) even amid unavoidable outcomes.

Duties in tension

• Rājadharma (steadfast governance)
• Pitṛdharma (parental attachment and protection)
• Satya/niyama (enduring consequences of vows and exile)

Ethical theme

Self-mastery vs attachment

For your practice

Useful for contemplation on impermanence and the need for inner refuge beyond external sight; can be used as a vairāgya prompt.

Mood and themes

Rasa

Karuna (compassion), with Bhayanaka (fear)

Mood

Desperate, fainting, death-haunted

Themes

• Dharma
• Itihasa
• Mortality
• Grief
• Satya (truth of impermanence)

Symbolism

Relationships

Cross references

Meter and recitation

Characters & Entities

• Daśaratha
• Rāma
• Yama

FAQs

What is the core ethical principle (Dharma) in this verse?

The verse confronts satya about mortality: separation from the righteous becomes unbearable, reminding that human life is fragile and that attachment has consequences that must be faced truthfully.

What is the narrative situation?

Daśaratha declares he will die if he cannot see Rāma, intensifying the emotional crisis after Rāma’s exile.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Rāma’s auspicious, royal qualities (strength and adornment) are recalled; Daśaratha’s unwavering love is foregrounded as a defining trait.