← 1.6.3 · Bāla Kāṇḍa 6: Daśaratha and Ayodhyā’s inhabitants · 1.6.5 →

Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 1.6.4

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 narrator describes Daśaratha as learned, far-sighted, self-controlled, powerful, rich in allies, and loved by town and countryside → his protection of Ayodhyā is compared to Indra's protection of Amarāvatī

1.6.4

yathā manur mahātejā lokasya parirakṣitā
tathā daśaratho rājā vasañ jagad apālayat

Just as Manu of great splendour was the protector of the world, so King Daśaratha, dwelling there, ruled over the world.

Words: yathā — just as; manur — Manu; mahātejā — of great splendour; lokasya — of the world; parirakṣitā — the protector; tathā — so; daśaratho — Daśaratha; rājā — the king; vasañ — dwelling; jagad — the world; apālayat — protected, ruled

Composed by Maharṣi Vālmīki, the ādikavi of the ādikāvya: the first poet of the first poem. 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.