Valmiki Ramayana 2.67.12: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 67, Shloka 12
अयोध्यायां शोक-रात्रिः तथा अराजक-राष्ट्रस्य नीतिविचारः
The Night of Lamentation in Ayodhya and the Political Ethics of a Kingless Realm
नाराजके जनपदे कारयन्ति सभां नराः ।
उद्यानानि च रम्याणि हृष्टाः पुण्यगृहाणि च ॥१२॥
nārājake janapade kārayanti sabhāṃ narāḥ |
udyānāni ca ramyāṇi hṛṣṭāḥ puṇyagṛhāṇi ca ||12||
Dalam negeri tanpa raja, manusia tidak mengadakan sidang; dan mereka pun tidak, dengan hati gembira dan yakin, membina taman-taman indah serta rumah-rumah suci yang membawa pahala.
In a country where there is no king, no assemblies are convened by pleasure seeking people, nor do they build delightful gardens or sacred edifices.
FAQs
The verse teaches that righteous governance enables civic life: without a king who upholds dharma, public institutions, communal deliberation, and merit-making works decline.
In the political uncertainty of Ayodhyā, speakers argue that the absence of a ruler disrupts normal social and religious activities, motivating urgent action toward stable kingship.
Concern for loka-saṅgraha (the holding-together of society): valuing assemblies, public works, and sacred construction as signs of a well-ordered realm.
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