← 1.6.23 · Bāla Kāṇḍa 6: Daśaratha and Ayodhyā’s inhabitants

Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 1.6.24

Bāla Kāṇḍa, sarga 6: Daśaratha and Ayodhyā’s inhabitants. Daśaratha rules a prosperous and disciplined population, supported by trained warriors, fine horses and powerful elephants

In the sequence: the portrait ends with Daśaratha ruling a populous, fortified Ayodhyā worthy of its name as an unconquerable city.

1.6.24

tāṃ satyanāmāṃ dṛḍhatoraṇārgalām gṛhair vicitrair upaśobhitāṃ śivām
purīm ayodhyāṃ nṛsahasrasaṃkulāṃ śaśāsa vai śakrasamo mahīpatiḥ

That auspicious city of Ayodhyā — true to its name, with strong gateway-arches and bars, adorned with wonderful houses, and thronged with thousands of men — the lord of the earth, the equal of Indra, ruled indeed.

Words: tāṃ — that; satyanāmāṃ — true to its name; dṛḍhatoraṇārgalām — with strong gateway-arches and bars; gṛhair — with houses; vicitrair — wonderful, variegated; upaśobhitāṃ — adorned, beautified; śivām — auspicious, lovely; purīm — the city; ayodhyāṃ — Ayodhyā; nṛsahasrasaṃkulāṃ — thronged with thousands of men; śaśāsa — ruled, governed; vai — indeed; śakrasamo — the equal of Śakra (Indra); mahīpatiḥ — the lord of the earth

Composed by Maharṣi Vālmīki. Sanskrit: The Vālmīki-Rāmāyaṇa: Critical Edition, Oriental Institute, Baroda, 1960–1975 (gen. eds. G. H. Bhatt, U. P. Shah); IAST from GRETIL (Göttingen). Translation and word glosses: Claude Opus 4.6–4.7; summaries and sequences: ChatGPT Astra (machine-made). Numbering follows the Critical Edition, not the vulgate (e.g. Gita Press, valmikiramayan.net), so sarga and verse numbers can differ from those editions.