Ramayana — Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 41, Shloka 16
अयोध्यायाः शोकप्रकम्पः
Ayodhya’s Tremor of Grief and Omens
शोकपर्यायसन्तप्त स्सततं दीर्घमुच्छवसन्।अयोध्यायां जनस्सर्व श्शुशोच जगतीपतिम्।।2.41.16।।
śokaparyāyasantaptaḥ satataṃ dīrgham ucchvasan | ayodhyāyāṃ janaḥ sarvaḥ śuśoca jagatīpatim || 2.41.16 ||
அயோத்தியில் உள்ள எல்லா மக்களும் துயரத்தின் அலைஅலைகளால் எரிந்தவர்களாய், இடையறாது நீண்ட பெருமூச்சு விட்டுக் கொண்டு, உலகநாதனாகிய தம் அரசனை நினைந்து புலம்பினர்।
All the citizens of Ayodhya, afflicted with a series of grief and heaving deep sighs ceaselessly bewailed at the sight of the lord of the world (Dasaratha).
FAQs
It points to rājadharma’s human dimension: a king is not only an administrator but a moral guardian; when the royal house is shaken by adharma-like circumstances (unjust exile), the people suffer deeply.
The citizens of Ayodhya grieve intensely and sigh repeatedly, lamenting for their king (Daśaratha) amid the crisis caused by Rama’s exile.
The people’s loyalty and compassion toward their rulers, and the ideal of a king as ‘jagatīpati’—one who bears responsibility for all.