Ramayana — Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 114, Shloka 5
अयोध्याप्रवेशः
Bharata Enters Ayodhya and Perceives the City’s Desolation
विधूमामिव हेमाभामध्वराग्ने स्समुत्थिताम्। हविरभ्युक्षितां पश्चाच्छिखां विप्रलयं गताम्।।2.114.5।।
vidhūmām iva hemābhām adhvarāgneḥ samutthitām | havirabhyukṣitāṃ paścāc chikhāṃ vipralayaṃ gatām || 2.114.5 ||
ਅਯੋਧਿਆ ਯਜ्ञਾਗਨੀ ਵਿਚੋਂ ਉਠਦੀ ਧੂੰਏਂ-ਰਹਿਤ, ਸੁਵਰਨ-ਵਰਨੀ ਲੌ ਵਾਂਗ ਦਿਸਦੀ ਸੀ; ਪਰ ਹਵਿਸ ਦੇ ਛਿੜਕਾਅ ਤੋਂ ਬਾਅਦ ਜਿਵੇਂ ਸ਼ਿਖਾ ਸ਼ਾਂਤ ਹੋ ਕੇ ਲਯ ਹੋ ਜਾਂਦੀ ਹੈ, ਤਿਵੇਂ ਉਹ ਵੀ ਨਿਰਵਾਣ ਸਮ ਹੋ ਗਈ।
FAQs
The verse implies that when dharma’s living presence (Rāma) is removed, even a prosperous order can lose its radiance—like a flame that rises pure yet later fades. Dharma is not mere ritual form; it is sustained by righteous leadership and inner integrity.
The poet describes Ayodhyā’s condition after Rāma’s departure, using sacrificial imagery to convey a city whose former brilliance has diminished into silence and loss.
Indirectly, Rāma’s dhārmic presence is emphasized: his righteousness is portrayed as the sustaining ‘fire’ of the kingdom’s welfare and moral order.