Valmiki Ramayana 2.7.3-6: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 7, Shlokas 3-6
मन्थराप्रवेशः · Manthara Observes Ayodhya and Incites Kaikeyi
Setting: Ayodhyā
पताकाभिर्वरार्हाभिर्ध्वजैश्च समलङ्कृताम् ।
वृतां छन्दपथैश्चापि शिरस्स्नातजनैर्वृताम् ॥३॥
माल्यमोदकहस्तैश्च द्विजेन्द्रैरभिनादिताम् ।
शुक्लदेवगृहद्वारां सर्ववादित्रनिस्वनाम् ॥४॥
सम्प्रहृष्टजनाकीर्णां ब्रह्मघोषाभिनादिताम् ।
प्रहृष्टवरहस्त्यश्वां सम्प्रणर्दितगोवृषाम् ॥५॥
प्रहृष्टमुदितैः पौरैरुच्छ्रितध्वजमालिनीम् ।
अयोध्यां मन्थरा दृष्ट्वा परं विस्मयमागता ॥६॥
patākābhir varārhābhir dhvajaiś ca samalaṅkṛtām |
vṛtāṃ chandapathaiś cāpi śirassnātajanair vṛtām ||3||
mālyamodakahastaiś ca dvijendrair abhināditām |
śukladevagṛhadvārāṃ sarvavāditranisvanām ||4||
samprahṛṣṭajanākīrṇāṃ brahmaghoṣābhināditām |
prahṛṣṭavarahastyaśvāṃ sampraṇarditagovṛṣām ||5||
prahṛṣṭamuditaiḥ paurair ucchritadhvajamālinīm |
ayodhyāṃ mantharā dṛṣṭvā paraṃ vismayam āgatā ||6||
Mantharā contemplou Ayodhyā—ornada com custosos estandartes e bandeiras; cheia de vias sinuosas e apinhada de gente recém-banhada. Ressoava com cânticos védicos de eminentes brāhmaṇas, trazendo guirlandas e doces, e com o som de toda espécie de instrumentos. Multidões jubilosas enchiam as ruas; excelentes elefantes e cavalos mostravam vigor; vacas e touros faziam ouvir seus mugidos e brados. Os cidadãos, exultantes, erguiam alto guirlandas de pendões ao redor da cidade—vendo tudo isso, Mantharā foi tomada de intenso assombro.
Sandhi Notes
- पताकाभिर्वरार्हाभिः = पताकाभिः + वरार्हाभिः (विसर्ग-लोपः)
- ध्वजैश्च = ध्वजैः + च (विसर्ग-सन्धि)
- छन्दपथैश्चापि = छन्दपथैः + च + अपि
- शिरस्स्नातजनैर्वृताम् = शिरःस्नातजनैः + वृताम् (विसर्ग-लोपः)
- द्विजेन्द्रैरभिनादिताम् = द्विजेन्द्रैः + अभिनादिताम्
- ब्रह्मघोषाभिनादिताम् = ब्रह्मघोष + अभिनादिताम्
- विस्मयमागता = विस्मयम् + आगता (म् + आ)
The city of Ayodhya was decorated with costly banners and pennants. The labyrinthine roads were crowded with people who had (finished) their head-bath and were wandering at will. The temples with their doors painted white were reverberating with the chanting from the Vedas by the best of brahmins holding garlands and sweetmeats in their hands and with sounds of all kinds of musical instruments. The city was filled with spirited horses and elephants. The bulls werebellowing and the cows were lowing. The citizens with great joy raised the penants encircling the city of Ayodhya. All this left Manthara astonished.
The teaching
Public prosperity and sacred sound (brahma-ghoṣa) are presented as outward signs of a dharmically ordered polity.
- Ethical theme
- Rājadharma / social dharma
For your practice
Smaraṇa of maṅgala-saṃskāra: cleanliness, sacred sound, and offering-culture as supports for sattva in daily life.
Mood and themes
- Rasa
- Adbhuta (wonder), with Shringara (love)
- Mood
- Festive, resplendent, astonished
Themes
- Itihasa
- Dharma
- Maryada
- Public ritual
- Kingship
- Civic order
- Auspiciousness
Bṛhadāraṇyaka/Chāndogya-style linkage of outer order (ṛta) with inner auspiciousness—prosperity as a sign of dharmic alignment.
The idea of ‘śrī’/auspicious radiance manifesting where dharma and yajña-like observances are upheld (echoing śrī as tejas).
- Manthara and Ayodhya
- Court-attendant observing royal-capital festivities (adbhuta)
- Brahmanas and Ayodhya
- Ritual-guardians sanctifying civic space with brahma-ghoṣa
- Citizens and Ayodhya
- Subjects celebrating in the capital
Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 1.5 (Ayodhyā-varṇana, prosperity signs); Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.6–2.8 (context: city’s festive preparation around royal events)
Vedic maṅgala/śānti soundscape: brahma-ghoṣa as public sanctification (Ṛg/ Yajur recitation culture)
Ayodhyā’s prosperity contrasted later with its desolation after Rāma’s exile (Ayodhyā-kāṇḍa later sargas).
Anuṣṭup (śloka)
Joyful
Madhyama-gati with bright udatta emphasis on maṅgala-words (dhvaja, brahma-ghoṣa, vāditra).
FAQs
Dharma is reflected as social and ritual order: citizens observe purification (head-bath), brāhmaṇas uphold sacred recitation, and the city collectively celebrates a righteous royal transition—public joy anchored in religious propriety.
Ayodhyā is in festive preparation for the royal consecration (abhiṣeka) atmosphere; Mantharā witnesses the city’s auspicious celebration and is astonished, setting the stage for her reaction and later counsel to Kaikeyī.
Collective civic virtue: the citizens’ harmony, devotion, and disciplined celebration—showing loyalty to the kingdom’s dhārmic order.
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