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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.61.17

Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa, sarga 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

In the sequence: they explain what they fear without a King: neglected agriculture and public works, interrupted sacrifices and festivals, unsafe travel and trade, insecurity at home, and a weakened army

2.61.17

nārājake janapade vaṇijo dūragāminaḥ
gacchanti kṣemam adhvānaṃ bahupuṇyasamācitāḥ

In a kingless land far-faring merchants, richly laden with their wares, do not travel a safe road.

Words: nārājake — not in a kingless (land); janapade — land; vaṇijo — merchants; dūragāminaḥ — far-travelling; gacchanti — go, travel; kṣemam — safe, secure; adhvānaṃ — road, journey; bahupuṇyasamācitāḥ — richly laden with goods

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.