Valmiki Ramayana 2.71.33: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 71, Shloka 33
भरतस्य अयोध्याप्रत्यागमनम् · Bharata’s Return Journey and the Distant Sight of Ayodhya
Setting: Ayodhya, Vaijayanta gatePlaces named: Vaijayanta (gate), AyodhyaThreshold crossing into capital
द्वारेण वैजयन्तेन प्राविशच्छ्रान्तवाहनः ॥३३॥
द्वास्स्थैरुत्थाय विजयं पृष्टस्तै स्सहितो ययौ ।
dvāreṇa vaijayantena prāviśac chrāntavāhanaḥ ||33||
dvāssthair utthāya vijayaṃ pṛṣṭas taiḥ sahito yayau |
క్లాంతమైన వాహనాలతో అతడు ‘వైజయంత’ అనే ద్వారం ద్వారా ప్రవేశించాడు। ద్వారపాలకులు లేచి ‘విజయం!’ అని పలుకుతూ అతనితో పాటు నడిచారు।
Sandhi Notes
- प्राविशत् + श्रान्तवाहनः → प्राविशच्छ्रान्तवाहनः (त् + श् → च्छ)
- द्वाःस्थैः + उत्थाय → द्वाःस्थैरुत्थाय (visarga + vowel → र्)
- पृष्टः + तैः → पृष्टस्तैः (ः + त → स्त)
He entered the city through the gate known as Vaijayanta with his horses exhausted. The door-keepers stood up and amidst cries of victory followed him in.
The teaching
Public honor continues even when private grief approaches; maintain decorum while seeking the truth.
- Ethical theme
- Ācāra-dharma (protocol)
For your practice
Practice equanimity amid praise and ceremony; do not be carried away by outer acclamations.
Mood and themes
- Rasa
- Karuna (compassion), with Vira (heroism)
- Mood
- Hurried, ceremonial, strained
Themes
- Itihasa
- Royal protocol
- Dharma
Name and form (nāma-rūpa) of ‘victory’ contrasts with the changing reality; the wise discern the transient nature of worldly acclamations.
The tension between śabda (victory cries) and artha (true situation) echoes the need for viveka (discernment) taught across Upanishadic inquiry.
Ayodhyākāṇḍa 2.72 (public reactions and palace atmosphere); Bālakāṇḍa 1.5 (Ayodhya’s gates and royal order, thematic parallel of city description)
Vedic victory acclamations in royal contexts (jayāśīr-vāda as cultural motif)
Ayodhyākāṇḍa 2.71.32-36 (arrival sequence and foreboding)
Anuṣṭup
Narrative
Madhya
FAQs
Dharma in a kingdom includes orderly civic conduct—gatekeepers uphold protocol even as a deeper crisis looms.
Bharata passes into the city through a principal gate and is received with customary acclamations.
Public duty and respect for royal order, shown by the gatekeepers’ formal welcome.
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