Valmiki Ramayana 2.71.37: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 71, Shloka 37
भरतस्य अयोध्याप्रत्यागमनम्
Bharata’s Return Journey and the Distant Sight of Ayodhya
सम्मार्जनविहीनानि परुषाण्युपलक्षये।।2.71.37।।
असंयत कवाटानि श्रीविहीनानि सर्वशः।
बलिकर्मविहीनानि धूपसम्मोदनेन च।।2.71.38।।
अनाशितकुटुम्बानि प्रभाहीनजनानि च।
अलक्ष्मीकानि पश्यामि कुटुम्बिभवनान्यहम्।।2.71.39।।
sammārjanavihīnāni paruṣāṇy upalakṣaye |
asaṃyata-kavāṭāni śrīvihīnāni sarvaśaḥ |
balikarmavihīnāni dhūpa-sammodanena ca || 2.71.38 ||
anāśita-kuṭumbāni prabhāhīna-janāni ca |
alakṣmīkāni paśyāmi kuṭumbibhavanāny aham || 2.71.37–39 ||
我看见家家户户无人洒扫，尘垢满目；门扉失于守护，往昔的荣华四散消逝。常行的供献不复举行，亦无熏香的悦人芬芳。家人似未得食，众人神采黯淡——每一所宅第都仿佛被不祥所笼罩。
I see the unswept homes of householders standing dirty with doors not closed. There is no beauty anywhere. No one offers oblations (at the time of worship). There is no fragrance of burning incense. The families have no food to eat. The people look cheerless. I see inauspiciousness everywhere.
FAQs
Dharma is reflected in daily household order—cleanliness, hospitality/feeding, and worship. Their absence signals a rupture in social and spiritual life.
Entering the city, Bharata reads the neglected houses and suspended rites as evidence of collective grief or crisis.
Empathy and civic awareness—he notices the condition of ordinary households, not only palace matters.
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