Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa

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.

Preparations for Rāma’s abhiṣeka (sargas 1–6)

2.1 Daśaratha proposes Rāma as heir: With Bharata & Śatrughna in Kekaya, Daśaratha weighs Rāma’s fitness to rule and summons an assembly
2.2 The assembly endorses Rāma: Daśaratha proposes handing over responsibility, the assembly praises Rāma’s character and care for his subjects
2.3 Rāma’s abhiṣeka announced: Daśaratha orders preparations and counsels Rāma on self-restraint, ministers and the welfare of his subjects
2.4 Omens hasten the abhiṣeka: Daśaratha fixes the ceremony for the next day while Bharata is away, Rāma & Sītā must fast and sleep on darbha
2.5 Vasiṣṭha prepares the upavāsa: He establishes Rāma & Sītā’s fast with sacred formulas and reports to Daśaratha as Ayodhyā decorates its streets
2.6 Worship before the abhiṣeka: Rāma worships Nārāyaṇa with Sītā, offers havis and eats its remainder, they sleep on kuśa as Ayodhyā celebrates

Mantharā and Kaikeyī’s two boons (sargas 7–12)

2.7 Mantharā’s alarm, Kaikeyī’s joy: Mantharā warns of danger to Bharata, Kaikeyī rewards her and declares equal affection for both princes
2.8 Mantharā turns Kaikeyī’s mind: Kaikeyī defends Rāma, Mantharā argues that his descendants will exclude Bharata’s line and urges Rāma’s exile
2.9 Mantharā’s plan for the boons: She recalls Kaikeyī’s rescue of Daśaratha and urges Bharata’s abhiṣeka and fourteen years of exile for Rāma
2.10 Kaikeyī claims the two boons: Bound by his promise, Daśaratha hears her demands for Bharata’s abhiṣeka and Rāma’s exile, then collapses and pleads
2.11 Daśaratha’s pleas fail to move Kaikeyī: Kaikeyī insists that Daśaratha honour his promise, his night-long appeals fail to change her demands
2.12 Daśaratha summons Rāma: Kaikeyī insists on the promise, Daśaratha repudiates her & Bharata, Sumantra leaves unaware of the exile

Rāma accepts the exile (sargas 13–16)

2.13 The abhiṣeka awaits Daśaratha: Priests and dignitaries gather with the sacred waters, the King fails to appear and Sumantra is sent for Rāma
2.14 Rāma answers the summons: Expecting his abhiṣeka and assuming Kaikeyī’s support, Rāma takes leave of Sītā and rides out with Lakṣmaṇa
2.15 Rāma enters the palace: He passes through the celebrating city and enters Daśaratha’s inner rooms, the citizens wait for his return
2.16 Rāma accepts fourteen years of exile: Kaikeyī explains the boons, Rāma agrees, asks for Bharata’s return and leaves to speak to Kausalyā & Sītā

Kausalyā’s grief and Lakṣmaṇa’s resistance (sargas 17–22)

2.17 Kausalyā learns of Rāma’s exile: Rāma tells Kausalyā that Bharata will inherit and he must leave, she collapses and laments their separation
2.18 Resistance or obedience: Lakṣmaṇa offers force and Kausalyā asks Rāma to stay, Rāma cites ancestral precedents and upholds his father’s word
2.19 Rāma attributes the reversal to fate: He cancels the abhiṣeka preparations and asks Lakṣmaṇa to accept Kaikeyī’s change without anger
2.20 Lakṣmaṇa opposes fate with effort: He offers to overcome every obstacle by force, Rāma wipes away his tears but remains bound to the promise
2.21 Rāma asks Kausalyā to remain with Daśaratha: Kausalyā asks to follow Rāma, he persuades her to remain and care for the grieving Daśaratha
2.22 Kausalyā’s blessing and amulet: She invokes protection, consecrates an herbal amulet and completes the svastyayana before embracing Rāma

Sītā insists on joining Rāma (sargas 23–27)

2.23 Rāma asks Sītā to remain in Ayodhyā: Rāma reveals the exile and asks Sītā to respect Bharata’s authority, honour the Queens and care for his grieving parents
2.24 Sītā claims a share in the exile: She insists that a wife shares her husband’s fate and chooses forest hardship with Rāma over comfort without him
2.25 Rāma describes the hardships of forest life: Rāma describes the forest’s hunger, exposure, dangerous animals and tapasvin hardships, Sītā remains determined to accompany him
2.26 Sītā’s foretold forest life: She recalls predictions heard in her parents’ home and refuses separation despite Rāma’s hesitation
2.27 Rāma agrees that Sītā will accompany him: Sītā rejects separation despite every hardship, Rāma agrees to take her and asks her to distribute their possessions

Preparing for exile and taking leave (sargas 28–34)

2.28 Lakṣmaṇa joins the exile: He promises service to Rāma & Sītā and retrieves the paired bows, armour, quivers and swords from their teacher
2.29 Rāma’s gifts and Trijaṭa’s staff: Rāma & Sītā distribute wealth, the poor Trijaṭa receives the cattle encompassed by his staff’s throw
2.30 The walk to Daśaratha’s palace: Seeing Rāma, Sītā & Lakṣmaṇa without royal honours, citizens propose leaving Ayodhyā to follow them
2.31 A throne or one more night: Daśaratha urges Rāma to take the Kingdom, then begs him to stay overnight, Rāma refuses to delay the promise
2.32 Kaikeyī opposes Rāma’s escort: Daśaratha offers troops and supplies, Kaikeyī cites Asamañja’s exile, Siddhārtha distinguishes Rāma’s innocence
2.33 Bark garments over Sītā’s silk: Rāma declines royal provisions and helps Sītā fasten her bark clothing, Daśaratha protests her humiliation
2.34 Farewell to the Queens: Daśaratha orders the chariot and supplies for Sītā, Kausalyā counsels her and Rāma takes leave of his father’s wives

Departure and mourning in Ayodhyā (sargas 35–39)

2.35 The chariot departs: Sumitrā counsels Lakṣmaṇa, crowds and parents follow, Daśaratha calls for a halt while Rāma urges Sumantra onward
2.36 Ayodhyā falls into mourning: Palace women lament, offerings and daily activity cease, animals refuse food and the city loses its joy
2.37 Daśaratha loses sight of Rāma and rejects Kaikeyī: The chariot’s dust disappears, Daśaratha falls, rejects Kaikeyī’s touch and returns to Kausalyā as his sight fails
2.38 Kausalyā imagines Rāma’s return: Fearing Kaikeyī and the hardships facing Rāma, Sītā & Lakṣmaṇa, she longs for her son’s homecoming and embrace
2.39 Sumitrā comforts Kausalyā: She praises Lakṣmaṇa’s service and Sītā’s companionship and assures Kausalyā of Rāma’s return and abhiṣeka

The citizens follow and return (sargas 40–42)

2.40 The citizens follow to the Tamasā: Rāma asks them to support Bharata, then leaves his chariot to walk beside the elderly brāhmaṇas
2.41 Rāma leaves the sleeping citizens: Sumantra lays misleading tracks, Rāma crosses the Tamasā with Sītā & Lakṣmaṇa before the followers wake
2.42 The citizens return to Ayodhyā without Rāma: Families reproach the men for returning without Rāma and imagine abandoning Kaikeyī’s Kingdom to join him

The river journey to Citrakūṭa (sargas 43–50)

2.43 Rāma crosses Kosala’s rivers: He crosses the Vedaśruti, Gomatī & Syandikā, shows Sītā the ancestral lands and longs to see his parents again
2.44 Guha welcomes Rāma at the Gaṅgā: Rāma declines food and beds, asks for fodder for the horses and sleeps on the ground with Sītā after taking water
2.45 Lakṣmaṇa keeps watch beside the Gaṅgā: Guha offers to guard the camp, Lakṣmaṇa refuses a bed and stays awake fearing the deaths of their grieving parents
2.46 Rāma crosses the Gaṅgā: He sends Sumantra back as proof of departure, forms matted locks with banyan sap and crosses while Sītā prays
2.47 Rāma grieves and asks Lakṣmaṇa to return: Rāma fears for his parents and asks Lakṣmaṇa to return, Lakṣmaṇa refuses to leave him and steadies his resolve
2.48 Bharadvāja directs Rāma to Citrakūṭa: Rāma seeks seclusion beyond the Gaṅgā–Yamunā confluence, Bharadvāja recommends the food-rich mountain
2.49 The raft across the Yamunā: The brothers build a raft for Sītā, she crosses and prays at the banyan to see Kausalyā & Sumitrā again
2.50 The Citrakūṭa hut and its rites: Lakṣmaṇa builds and roasts a black antelope, Rāma bathes and makes a protective offering before they enter

Sumantra’s return and the parents’ grief (sargas 51–56)

2.51 Sumantra returns to Ayodhyā: Citizens surround the empty chariot, news of Rāma’s crossing renews their grief and Daśaratha collapses on receiving his message
2.52 Sumantra reports the farewells: Rāma asks Bharata to care for the family, Lakṣmaṇa condemns the banishment and Sītā stands silently in tears
2.53 Daśaratha’s remorse: Sumantra describes the horses’ reluctance and the country’s grief, Daśaratha regrets his uncounselled decision and begs to see Rāma
2.54 Sumantra comforts Kausalyā: He describes Lakṣmaṇa’s service and Sītā’s curiosity about the forest, but Kausalyā’s grief persists
2.55 Kausalyā reproaches Daśaratha: She fears Rāma will reject Bharata’s former Kingdom even after returning, Daśaratha collapses and recalls his past wrongdoing
2.56 Kausalyā & Daśaratha reconcile: He begs her to stop deepening his pain, she apologizes and says five nights of separation have felt like five years

Daśaratha’s confession and death (sargas 57–60)

2.57 Daśaratha’s arrow aimed at a sound: He recalls mistaking a filling pot for an elephant and shooting a youth who directs him to his blind parents
2.58 The curse and Daśaratha’s death: The youth’s father condemns him to die grieving for a son, Daśaratha recalls the curse and dies calling for Rāma
2.59 Discovery of Daśaratha’s death: Attendants arrive with the morning’s songs and offerings, find the King unresponsive and awaken the Queens to mourning
2.60 Daśaratha’s body preserved in oil: Kausalyā blames Kaikeyī, the ministers place the body in an oil trough and await a son before cremation

Bharata is summoned home (sargas 61–65)

2.61 Ayodhyā without a King: Ministers warn that food production, worship, trade and protection will fail without a ruler and ask Vasiṣṭha to arrange succession
2.62 Summoning Bharata: Five messengers ride to Kekaya with gifts and an urgent summons, forbidden to reveal Daśaratha’s death or Rāma’s exile
2.63 Bharata’s ominous dream: Daśaratha falls into filth and oil and travels south in a donkey-drawn chariot, Bharata wakes fearing a family death
2.64 Bharata leaves Kekaya: The messengers conceal the crisis, his grandfather and uncle provide gifts and an escort, Bharata departs with Śatrughna
2.65 Bharata reaches Ayodhyā: He hastens ahead of his company, finds the city silent and neglected and enters his father’s residence in alarm

Bharata rejects the Kingdom (sargas 66–69)

2.66 Kaikeyī’s disclosure: Bharata learns that Daśaratha died calling for the exiles, Kaikeyī admits arranging Rāma’s banishment and urges him to claim the throne
2.67 Bharata rejects Kaikeyī’s scheme: He condemns the loss of his father and elder brother, refuses the Kingdom and promises to bring Rāma back
2.68 Surabhi’s tears and Bharata’s vow: He compares Kausalyā’s sorrow to Surabhi’s grief for her exhausted oxen and offers to replace Rāma in exile
2.69 Kausalyā accepts Bharata’s innocence: Suspected of seeking the Kingdom, Bharata invokes curses on anyone who approved the exile and wins her trust

Daśaratha’s funeral and Mantharā’s punishment (sargas 70–72)

2.70 Daśaratha’s cremation: The body is lifted from oil and carried to a fragrant-wood pyre, the family offers water in the Sarayū and begins ten days of mourning
2.71 Daśaratha’s remaining rites: Bharata performs śrāddha and distributes gifts, the brothers grieve over the ashes and bones, Vasiṣṭha & Sumantra help them complete their duties
2.72 Bharata stops Mantharā’s punishment: Śatrughna drags her across the floor, Bharata orders her release to avoid Rāma’s condemnation

The expedition to bring Rāma back (sargas 73–77)

2.73 Bharata’s plan to restore Rāma: He refuses the prepared abhiṣeka, orders its materials taken to the forest and commissions a road for the expedition
2.74 Construction of Bharata’s route: Workers clear and level the ground, plant trees, dig wells and build supplied, defended camps along the road to the Gaṅgā
2.75 Bharata refuses royal honours: He stops the morning music proclaiming him King, Vasiṣṭha calls the ministers, priests, commanders and guild representatives to assemble
2.76 Bharata’s declaration to the assembly: He rejects the throne offered by Vasiṣṭha, declares Rāma the rightful ruler and orders Sumantra to prepare the expedition
2.77 Bharata’s march to the Gaṅgā: The Queens, army, priests, craftspeople and townspeople accompany him, the company camps before the river crossing

Guha and the Gaṅgā crossing (sargas 78–83)

2.78 Guha prepares to resist Bharata: Seeing the army, he readies five hundred armed boats to protect Rāma and approaches Bharata to learn his intentions
2.79 Guha accepts Bharata’s purpose: Bharata denies seeking Rāma’s death and asks the way to Bharadvāja, Guha offers guides and praises his refusal of the Kingdom
2.80 Guha recounts Lakṣmaṇa’s vigil: Lakṣmaṇa refused sleep and feared for their parents, then crossed the Gaṅgā with Rāma & Sītā at dawn
2.81 Rāma and Sītā’s grass bed: Guha shows Bharata where they slept after taking only water, while Lakṣmaṇa and the Niṣādas kept watch
2.82 Bharata examines the grass bed: Traces of Sītā’s gold and silk reveal where she slept, he vows to adopt forest life and offer himself in Rāma’s place
2.83 Guha ferries Bharata’s company: Five hundred boats carry people, vehicles and provisions across the Gaṅgā, the army halts as Bharata approaches Bharadvāja

Bharadvāja’s welcome and guidance (sargas 84–86)

2.84 Bharadvāja questions Bharata: Bharata leaves his army and weapons behind, denies seeking to eliminate his brothers and is invited to stay before continuing
2.85 Bharadvāja’s divine feast: Invoked devatās provide the army with food, drink and comforts, Bharata honours Rāma’s throne and sits as a minister
2.86 Bharadvāja directs Bharata to Citrakūṭa: The Mandākinī and leaf hut identify Rāma’s home, Bharata introduces the Queens and is urged not to blame Kaikeyī

Bharata approaches Citrakūṭa (sargas 87–92)

2.87 Bharata locates Citrakūṭa: The marching army disturbs the forest, scouts report smoke and Bharata halts the main force to approach the dwelling
2.88 Rāma shows Sītā Citrakūṭa: Mineral-coloured peaks, fruit trees and waterfalls relieve his grief, forest life fulfils his father’s command while Bharata rules
2.89 Rāma invites Sītā into the Mandākinī: He urges her to bathe and regard the mountain as Ayodhyā, the river as Sarayū and its animals as citizens
2.90 Lakṣmaṇa suspects Bharata’s army: He recognizes the banner, assumes an attack and urges Rāma to extinguish the fire, hide Sītā and prepare to fight
2.91 Rāma restrains Lakṣmaṇa: He rejects suspicion of Bharata and shames his brother’s anger, Bharata spreads the camp around the mountain to avoid crowding the hermitage
2.92 Bharata searches for Rāma’s hut: Search parties enter the forest, smoke guides Bharata forward and he keeps the larger company back while approaching with Guha

The reunion and mourning for Daśaratha (sargas 93–96)

2.93 Bharata finds Rāma: Bark markers and smoke lead him to the hut, he falls before his brother in tapasvin dress, Rāma embraces him & Śatrughna
2.94 Rāma questions Bharata’s governance: He asks after the family, advisers, spies, troop provisions, water, revenue and impartial justice, still unaware of Daśaratha’s death
2.95 Rāma’s offerings for Daśaratha: Hearing of his death, Rāma collapses, then offers Mandākinī water and iṅgudī paste with jujube as his own forest fare
2.96 The mothers reach Rāma’s hut: Kausalyā grieves over Daśaratha’s humble offering, the mothers greet Rāma, Lakṣmaṇa & Sītā and the assembly gathers

The dispute over Kingship and duty (sargas 97–103)

2.97 Bharata offers Rāma the Kingdom: Rāma absolves him of blame but insists that both brothers honour their father’s division between Kingdom and forest
2.98 Bharata’s appeal and Rāma’s answer: Bharata asks him to restore the Kingdom, Rāma teaches the inevitability of loss, separation and death
2.99 Rāma explains Daśaratha’s obligations: The marriage pledge and wartime boons bind the succession, Bharata & Śatrughna must govern while Rāma & Lakṣmaṇa remain in the forest
2.100 Jābāli challenges the exile: He questions permanent family ties, offerings to the dead and belief in the unseen, urging Rāma to accept the available Kingdom
2.101 Rāma rejects Jābāli’s advice: A ruler’s actions guide his subjects, truth sustains trust and no worldly gain justifies breaking his father’s promise
2.102 Vasiṣṭha recounts the royal lineage: He traces the dynasty from creation through Ikṣvāku and Sagara, invoking its tradition of eldest succession
2.103 Bharata attempts a fast: He spreads grass and refuses to leave, then offers to serve the exile himself, Rāma rejects substitution and promises to rule after fourteen years

Rāma’s sandals and rule at Nandigrāma (sargas 104–107)

2.104 Bharata receives Rāma’s sandals: Rāma steps into the gold-adorned sandals and returns them, Bharata circles him and prepares to depart
2.105 Bharata carries the sandals home: The company circles Citrakūṭa, Bharata reports Rāma’s decision to Bharadvāja and recrosses the Yamunā & Gaṅgā toward Ayodhyā
2.106 Bharata returns without Rāma: Ayodhyā resembles an extinguished fire and deserted altar, he laments its emptiness and reaches Daśaratha’s residence
2.107 Bharata establishes rule at Nandigrāma: He places Rāma’s sandals on the throne, governs in their name and wears bark and matted hair while awaiting Rāma’s return

Leaving Citrakūṭa for Atri’s hermitage (sargas 108–111)

2.108 The ṛṣis leave Citrakūṭa: Rākṣasas assault the tapasvins and disrupt their rites, the community departs for another hermitage despite Rāma’s appeal to remain
2.109 Rāma leaves Citrakūṭa for Atri: Family memories and the army’s animal waste prompt departure, Atri recounts Anasūyā’s relief of a ten-year drought and sends Sītā to her
2.110 Anasūyā’s gifts and Sītā’s story: Sītā receives clothing, ornaments and unfading cosmetic, then recounts her earth-birth, the bow and marriage
2.111 Departure from Atri’s hermitage: Sītā wears Anasūyā’s gifts, Rāma, Sītā & Lakṣmaṇa receive warnings of rākṣasas and take the forest path