Valmiki Ramayana 2.39.3: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 39, Shloka 3
एकोनचत्वारिंशः सर्गः · Dasaratha’s Lament, Sumantra’s Commission, and Sita’s Vow of Marital Dharma
स मुहूर्तमिवासंज्ञो दुःखितश्च महीपतिः ।
विललाप महाबाहू राममेवानुचिन्तयन् ॥३॥
sa muhūrtam ivāsaṃjño duḥkhitaś ca mahīpatiḥ |
vilalāpa mahābāhū rāmam evānucintayan ||3||
துயரால் ஆட்கொள்ளப்பட்ட மகாபாகு பூமிபதி அரசன் ஒரு கணம் மயக்கமுற்றதுபோல் ஆனான்; பின்னர் ராமனையே நினைத்துக்கொண்டே புலம்பத் தொடங்கினான்.
The mighty-armed king lost consciousness for a moment and in grief lamented, brooding only over Rama.
FAQs
The verse highlights the human cost of dharmic decisions: even a righteous king can be broken by sorrow when duty and affection collide. It frames Daśaratha’s suffering as part of the moral gravity surrounding Rāma’s exile.
After the developments leading to Rāma’s departure for the forest, Daśaratha is overcome by grief and briefly becomes almost unconscious, lamenting while thinking only of Rāma.
Daśaratha’s deep paternal love (vātsalya) is emphasized, alongside the implied burden of royal duty that has brought him to this crisis.
Ask anything about this verse
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
A free sign-in with Google or Apple keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Valmiki Ramayana in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with word-by-word meanings, Sanskrit recitation where available, and more.
