Valmiki Ramayana 2.40.22: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 40, Shloka 22
प्रयाणवर्णनम्
Departure from Ayodhya; Civic Lament and the Chariot’s Urgency
Spoken by Citizens of Ayodhya to SumantraSetting: Ayodhya departure road near the city boundaryPlaces named: AyodhyaInitial slow departure from Ayodhya
संयच्छ वाजिनां रश्मीन् सूत याहि शनैश्शनैः ।
मुखं द्रक्ष्याम रामस्य दुर्दर्शं नो भविष्यति ॥२२॥
saṃyaccha vājīnāṃ raśmīn sūta yāhi śanaiḥ śanaiḥ |
mukhaṃ drakṣyāma rāmasya durdarśaṃ no bhaviṣyati ||22||
सूत, वाजिनां रश्मीन् संयच्छ; शनैः शनैः याहि। रामस्य मुखं पश्येम; शीघ्रं नो दुर्दर्शं भविष्यति॥
Sandhi Notes
- शनैश्शनैः → śanaiḥ śanaiḥ
- द्रक्ष्याम → drakṣyāma
- दुर्दर्शं नो → durdarśaṃ naḥ
O charioteer, control the reins of the horses and go slow so that we may look at the face of Rama, for soon we will not be able to see him.
The teaching
Compassion can temper duty’s execution without violating it—move forward, but gently.
Duties in tension
- Sumantra’s duty to proceed with Rama’s journey
- Citizens’ emotional duty of farewell vs. acceptance of exile
- Ethical theme
- Dayā (compassion) within kartavya (duty)
- How it resolves
- Temporary accommodation (slow pace) within obedience to mission
For your practice
Practice of mindful ‘slowness’ in transitions; savoring darśana of the sacred before change; cultivating non-clinging while honoring love.
Mood and themes
- Rasa
- Karuna (compassion), with Shanta (peace)
- Mood
- Imploring, lingering, parting
Themes
- Dharma
- Satya
- Itihasa
- Love and separation
- Ethics
The longing for darśana before separation mirrors the seeker’s urgency for sāksātkāra before the mind’s objects recede.
Īśā Upanishad’s emphasis on seeing/knowing before the ‘closing’ of opportunity (thematic echo, not direct quotation).
- Sumantra and Horses
- Driver-to-team (control/command) (restraining)
Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.40 (citizens request slow pace); Rāmacaritamānasa Ayodhyākāṇḍa (requests for lingering darśana as Rama departs)
Bhakti literature motif: last darśana before separation (viraha-bhakti)
2.40.21 (citizens clinging and speaking); 2.40.23-2.40.25 (evaluations of Kaushalya, Sita, Lakshmana)
Anuṣṭup (śloka)
Pleading
Madhyama-centered, with repeated gentle cadence on 'śanaiḥ śanaiḥ' to slow the tempo
FAQs
Dharma is tied to darśana (the sustaining sight of the righteous): the people seek one last vision of Rāma, whose truthfulness and virtue stabilize their moral world.
As the chariot moves away, the citizens beg Sumantra to slow down so they can keep seeing Rāma’s face.
Rāma’s moral radiance (satya-dharma): his very presence is treated as a source of strength and consolation.
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