Valmiki Ramayana 2.39.8: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 39, Shloka 8
एकोनचत्वारिंशः सर्गः · Dasaratha’s Lament, Sumantra’s Commission, and Sita’s Vow of Marital Dharma
Setting: Ayodhyā palace (Daśaratha’s chambers)Places named: Ayodhyā
एवमुक्त्वा तु वचनं बाष्पेण पिहितेन्द्रियः ।
रामेति सकृदेवोक्त्वा व्याहर्तुं न शशाक ह ॥८॥
evam uktvā tu vacanaṃ bāṣpeṇa pihitendriyaḥ |
rāmeti sakṛd evoktvā vyāhartuṃ na śaśāka ha ||8||
ครั้นกล่าวดังนี้แล้ว ประสาทสัมผัสของเขาถูกม่านน้ำตาปกคลุม; เขาเอ่ยเพียงครั้งเดียวว่า “รามะ” แล้วก็ไม่อาจกล่าวต่อไปได้
Sandhi Notes
- पिहितेन्द्रियः = पिहित + इन्द्रियः
- रामेति = राम + इति
- सकृदेवोक्त्वा = सकृत् + एव + उक्त्वा
Having uttered these words and muttering, 'O Rama' only once, his vision blurred by tears, he could speak no more.
The teaching
Even the mighty are undone when dharma is upheld at the cost of the heart; compassion arises from witnessing restraint amid ruin.
Duties in tension
- King’s duty to uphold promise vs father’s duty to protect son
- Emotional truth vs political necessity
- Ethical theme
- Satya-vrata / rājadharma
- How it resolves
- Tragic acceptance (promise upheld despite personal collapse)
Devotion and practice
Nāma-smaraṇa as refuge when speech and strength fail; japa as stabilizer in grief.
- Deity praised
- Rāma (as nāma)
- Mantra
- "Rāma"
Mood and themes
- Rasa
- Karuna (compassion)
- Mood
- Choked, tear-veiled, helpless
Themes
- Itihasa
- Pathos
- Dharma
- Satya
- Grief
The senses (indriya) obscured by emotion mirror the mind’s vṛtti-clouding; the name alone remains as a final support.
Praṇava/name as support in extremis (nāma-upāsanā); Kaṭha’s teaching on mastery of senses contrasted with their being ’pihita’ (covered).
- Dasharatha and Rama
- Father’s anguished attachment; impending separation
- Dasharatha and Sumantra
- King and charioteer-minister; reliance in crisis (mixed)
- Dasharatha and Kaikeyi
- Husband emotionally crushed by her demand
Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.42-2.43 (Daśaratha’s lament and collapse); Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.64 (Daśaratha’s final moments remembering Rāma)
Rāmcaritmānas: Daśaratha’s vilāpa in Ayodhyākāṇḍa
Ayodhyākāṇḍa motif: ’Rāma’-name as Daśaratha’s last utterance recurring near his death
Anuṣṭup (śloka)
Grieving
Vilambita, descending glide on ’Rāmeti’; pause (virāma) after sakṛt to enact speech-break
FAQs
The human cost of dharma-bound decisions: even righteous courses can produce intense grief, reminding readers that dharma is often carried with emotional sacrifice.
After lamenting, Daśaratha breaks down; tears choke his voice so he cannot continue speaking.
Deep paternal love and emotional honesty—Daśaratha does not mask his anguish.
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