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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.60.16

Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa, sarga 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

In the sequence: the palace and city continue mourning, and the people openly condemn Kaikeyī.

2.60.16

niśānakṣatrahīneva strīva bhartṛvivarjitā
purī nārājatāyodhyā hīnā rājñā mahātmanā

Like a night bereft of stars, like a woman deprived of her husband, the city of Ayodhyā, robbed of its great-souled king, gave no radiance.

Words: niśānakṣatrahīneva — like a night bereft of stars; strīva — like a woman; bhartṛvivarjitā — deprived of her husband; purī — the city; nārājatāyodhyā — Ayodhyā did not shine; hīnā — bereft; rājñā — of the king; mahātmanā — the great-souled

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.