Agni Purana — Avatara-lila, Shloka 30
Śrīrāmāvatāravarṇanam (Description of Śrī Rāma’s Incarnation) — Ayodhyā Abhiṣeka, Vanavāsa, Daśaratha’s Death, Bharata’s Regency
उषित्वा तमसातीरे रात्रौ पौरान् विहाय च प्रभाते तमपश्यन्तो ऽयोध्यां ते पुनरागताः
uṣitvā tamasātīre rātrau paurān vihāya ca prabhāte tamapaśyanto 'yodhyāṃ te punarāgatāḥ
Tendo passado a noite na margem do Tamasā e deixado para trás os habitantes da cidade, ao romper da aurora—não o vendo—retornaram novamente a Ayodhyā.
Lord Agni (narrating to Vasiṣṭha in the Agni Purāṇa’s discourse frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Avatara-Katha","secondary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","practical_application":"Models the social-ethical boundary between royal duty and public emotion: how a community responds when the king’s command (or prince’s resolve) requires separation; useful for teaching restraint, obedience, and the management of collective grief.","sutra_style":false}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Description","entry_title":"Tamasā-tīra: Ayodhyā’s return at dawn when Rāma is unseen","lookup_keywords":["Tamasā river bank","Ayodhyā townspeople","dawn return","Rāma departure","separation episode"],"quick_summary":"The verse captures the liminal moment after an overnight halt: at daybreak the citizens cannot find Rāma and return to Ayodhyā, marking the narrative pivot from civic accompaniment to forest-exile."}
Alamkara Type: Vyatireka (implicit contrast of night-stay vs dawn-discovery)
Concept: Anityatā of worldly association and the inevitability of separation under dharma-driven vows.
Application: Cultivate steadiness when relationships change due to duty; accept transitions without coercing another’s vowed path.
Khanda Section: Itihasa-Ramayana-Anukirtana (Narrative Retelling: Ayodhya episode)
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: River
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A quiet riverbank at night turning into dawn; the townspeople awaken, look around in confusion, and then turn back toward Ayodhyā when Rāma is not seen.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala temple mural style, Tamasā riverbank at dawn, clustered Ayodhyā citizens with lamps and simple garments, mist over water, expressive faces of sorrow and confusion, earthy reds and ochres, flat decorative foliage, sacred calm","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, dawn riverbank with stylized water, townspeople in ornate but subdued attire, gold-leaf highlights on lamps and borders, Ayodhyā skyline faint in background, emphasis on devotional pathos","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, narrative panel: citizens searching the riverbank then turning back, delicate linework, soft pastel palette, detailed trees and river ripples, captions-like clarity","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, panoramic riverbank with dawn sky gradient, small figures of citizens gesturing and departing, fine architectural detail of distant Ayodhyā road, naturalistic water and vegetation"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"epic"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: tamasātīre = tamasaḥ tīre; tamapaśyantaḥ = tam apaśyantaḥ; 'ayodhyāṃ = ayodhyām (avagraha indicates a+).
Related Themes: Agni Purana 6.31-6.34 (continuation of Ayodhyā-tyāga and Gaṅgā-crossing sequence)
FAQs
No ritual or technical vidyā is taught here; it is an Itihāsa-style narrative detail describing how the citizens, unable to see Rāma at dawn, turned back to Ayodhyā.
It illustrates the Agni Purāṇa’s encyclopedic scope by embedding well-known Itihāsa (Rāmāyaṇa) episodes alongside its ritual, polity, medicine, and śāstra sections—preserving cultural memory and dharma exemplars.
The verse highlights vairāgya and dharma in separation: the citizens’ return after failing to find Rāma underscores the poignancy of righteous renunciation and the collective grief that accompanies adherence to duty.