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Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa, sarga 15: Rāma enters the palace

Summary. He passes through the celebrating city and enters Daśaratha’s inner rooms, the citizens wait for his return

Sequence

  1. Rāma passes along the decorated royal road, acknowledging the people's greetings (2.15.1–4)
  2. they urge him to follow his ancestors' example and say that seeing him installed matters more than feasts or wealth (2.15.5–8)
  3. he listens without becoming conceited, while the people's attention stays fixed on him even after he passes (2.15.9–11)
  4. he reaches Daśaratha's palace, dismisses the accompanying crowd, and enters the inner rooms → outside, the citizens wait happily for him to reappear. (2.15.12–14)

Verses 2.15.1–14

2.15.1

sa rāmo ratham āsthāya saṃprahṛṣṭasuhṛjjanaḥ
apaśyan nagaraṃ śrīmān nānājanasamākulam

That illustrious Rāma, mounting the chariot, his friends thoroughly delighted, beheld the city thronged with people of every kind.

Words: sa — that; rāmo — Rāma; ratham — the chariot; āsthāya — having mounted; saṃprahṛṣṭasuhṛjjanaḥ — his kinsfolk thoroughly delighted; apaśyan — beheld, saw; nagaraṃ — the city; śrīmān — illustrious, glorious; nānājanasamākulam — thronged with people of every kind

2.15.2

sa gṛhair abhrasaṃkāśaiḥ pāṇḍurair upaśobhitam
rājamārgaṃ yayau rāmo madhyenāgarudhūpitam

Rāma proceeded down the middle of the royal highway, adorned with white houses that resembled clouds and perfumed with the smoke of aloe-wood.

Words: sa — he; gṛhair — with houses; abhrasaṃkāśaiḥ — resembling clouds; pāṇḍurair — white, pale; upaśobhitam — adorned, made beautiful; rājamārgaṃ — the royal highway; yayau — went, proceeded; rāmo — Rāma; madhyenāgarudhūpitam — through its middle, perfumed with aloe-wood smoke

2.15.3

śobhamānam asaṃbādhaṃ taṃ rājapatham uttamam
saṃvṛtaṃ vividhaiḥ paṇyair bhakṣyair uccāvacair api

He passed along that splendid, unobstructed, excellent royal road, filled with wares of every kind and with foods high and low.

Words: śobhamānam — splendid, shining; asaṃbādhaṃ — unobstructed, uncrowded; taṃ — that; rājapatham — royal road; uttamam — excellent, best; saṃvṛtaṃ — filled, covered; vividhaiḥ — with various; paṇyair — with wares, merchandise; bhakṣyair — with foods, eatables; uccāvacair — high and low, of many sorts; api — also

2.15.4

āśīrvādān bahūñ śṛṇvan suhṛdbhiḥ samudīritān
yathārhaṃ cāpi saṃpūjya sarvān eva narān yayau

Hearing the many blessings uttered by his friends, and honouring all the people each as was fitting, he went on.

Words: āśīrvādān — blessings, benedictions; bahūñ — many; śṛṇvan — hearing; suhṛdbhiḥ — by his friends; samudīritān — uttered, spoken forth; yathārhaṃ — as is fitting, according to merit; cāpi — and also; saṃpūjya — having honoured; sarvān — all; eva — indeed; narān — the people, men; yayau — went

2.15.5

pitāmahair ācaritaṃ tathaiva prapitāmahaiḥ
adyopādāya taṃ mārgam abhiṣikto 'nupālaya

“That path followed by your grandfathers and likewise your great-grandfathers—taking it up this very day, once consecrated, uphold it!”

Words: pitāmahair — by grandfathers; ācaritaṃ — practised, followed; tathaiva — and just so; prapitāmahaiḥ — by great-grandfathers; adyopādāya — having taken it up this day; taṃ — that; mārgam — path, way; abhiṣikto — consecrated, anointed; 'nupālaya — uphold, guard

2.15.6

yathā sma lālitāḥ pitrā yathā pūrvaiḥ pitāmahaiḥ
tataḥ sukhataraṃ sarve rāme vatsyāma rājani

“Just as we were cherished by our father and by our forefathers the grandsires, even more happily than that shall we all live when Rāma is king.”

Words: yathā — just as; sma — (past particle); lālitāḥ — cherished, fondled; pitrā — by our father; yathā — as; pūrvaiḥ — by our forefathers; pitāmahaiḥ — the grandsires; tataḥ — than that; sukhataraṃ — more happily; sarve — all of us; rāme — under Rāma; vatsyāma — we shall live, dwell; rājani — as king

2.15.7

alam adya hi bhuktena paramārthair alaṃ ca naḥ
yathā paśyāma niryāntaṃ rāmaṃ rājye pratiṣṭhitam

“Enough now of eating, and enough too for us of the greatest possessions, if only we may see Rāma go forth established in the kingship.”

Words: alam — enough; adya — now, today; hi — indeed; bhuktena — with food, eating; paramārthair — with the greatest goods; alaṃ — enough; ca — and; naḥ — for us; yathā — so that, if only; paśyāma — we may see; niryāntaṃ — going forth; rāmaṃ — Rāma; rājye — in the kingship; pratiṣṭhitam — established, installed

2.15.8

ato hi na priyataraṃ nānyat kiṃ cid bhaviṣyati
yathābhiṣeko rāmasya rājyenāmitatejasaḥ

For nothing else whatever will be dearer to them than this—the consecration to the kingship of Rāma of boundless splendour.

Words: ato — than this; hi — for; na — not; priyataraṃ — dearer; nānyat — nor anything else; kiṃ cid — whatever; bhaviṣyati — will be; yathābhiṣeko — namely the consecration; rāmasya — of Rāma; rājyenāmitatejasaḥ — to the kingship, of him of boundless splendour

2.15.9

etāś cānyāś ca suhṛdām udāsīnaḥ kathāḥ śubhāḥ
ātmasaṃpūjanīḥ śṛṇvan yayau rāmo mahāpatham

Detached, hearing these and other auspicious words of his friends, words full of praise of himself, Rāma proceeded along the great highway.

Words: etāś — these; cānyāś — and other; ca — and; suhṛdām — of his friends; udāsīnaḥ — detached, indifferent; kathāḥ — words, talk; śubhāḥ — auspicious, fair; ātmasaṃpūjanīḥ — full of praise of himself; śṛṇvan — hearing; yayau — went, proceeded; rāmo — Rāma; mahāpatham — the great highway

2.15.10

na hi tasmān manaḥ kaś cic cakṣuṣī vā narottamāt
naraḥ śaknoty apākraṣṭum atikrānte 'pi rāghave

For no man could draw away his mind or his eyes from that best of men, even after Rāghava had passed by.

Words: na — not; hi — for; tasmān — from him; manaḥ — the mind; kaś cic — anyone; cakṣuṣī — the two eyes; vā — or; narottamāt — from the best of men; naraḥ — a man; śaknoty — is able; apākraṣṭum — to draw away; atikrānte — when he had passed by; 'pi — even; rāghave — Rāghava (had passed)

2.15.11

sarveṣāṃ sa hi dharmātmā varṇānāṃ kurute dayām
caturṇāṃ hi vayaḥsthānāṃ tena te tam anuvratāḥ

For that righteous one shows compassion to all four classes and to those of every stage of life; therefore they are devoted to him.

Words: sarveṣāṃ — to all; sa — he; hi — for; dharmātmā — the righteous one; varṇānāṃ — of the classes, castes; kurute — shows, does; dayām — compassion; caturṇāṃ — of the four; hi — indeed; vayaḥsthānāṃ — of those of (every) age; tena — therefore, by that; te — they; tam — to him; anuvratāḥ — devoted, loyal

2.15.12

sa rājakulam āsādya mahendrabhavanopamam
rājaputraḥ pitur veśma praviveśa śriyā jvalan

Reaching the royal palace, which resembled the abode of great Indra, the prince, blazing with majesty, entered his father's dwelling.

Words: sa — he; rājakulam — the royal palace; āsādya — having reached; mahendrabhavanopamam — resembling the abode of great Indra; rājaputraḥ — the prince; pitur — of his father; veśma — the dwelling, house; praviveśa — entered; śriyā — with majesty, splendour; jvalan — blazing

2.15.13

sa sarvāḥ samatikramya kakṣyā daśarathātmajaḥ
saṃnivartya janaṃ sarvaṃ śuddhāntaḥpuram abhyagāt

The son of Daśaratha, passing through all the enclosures and sending back the whole crowd, went into the pure inner apartments.

Words: sa — he; sarvāḥ — all; samatikramya — having passed through; kakṣyā — the enclosures, courtyards; daśarathātmajaḥ — the son of Daśaratha; saṃnivartya — having turned back, sent back; janaṃ — the crowd, people; sarvaṃ — all, whole; śuddhāntaḥpuram — the pure inner apartments; abhyagāt — went to, entered

2.15.14

tataḥ praviṣṭe pitur antikaṃ tadā janaḥ sa sarvo mudito nṛpātmaje
pratīkṣate tasya punaḥ sma nirgamaṃ yathodayaṃ candramasaḥ saritpatiḥ

Then, when he had entered his father's presence, all those people, delighted in the prince, awaited his coming forth again, as the ocean, lord of rivers, awaits the rising of the moon.

Words: tataḥ — then; praviṣṭe — when he had entered; pitur — of his father; antikaṃ — the presence, near; tadā — then; janaḥ — the people; sa — that; sarvo — all; mudito — delighted; nṛpātmaje — in the prince; pratīkṣate — awaits; tasya — his; punaḥ — again; sma — (particle); nirgamaṃ — coming forth, exit; yathodayaṃ — as for the rising; candramasaḥ — of the moon; saritpatiḥ — the lord of rivers (the ocean)

← 2.14 Rāma answers the summons · Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa · 2.16 Rāma accepts fourteen years of exile →

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.

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