Ayodhya Grieves Rama's Banishment

Rama's exile shakes Ayodhya to its core. As he departs, the city, its people, and nature itself react with profound sorrow. King Dasaratha's decision ripples through the kingdom. 

The Lament of the Palace Women (2.41.1 - 2.41.5)

As Rama, the foremost among men, departed with folded palms, a great cry of distress arose from the inner chambers of the palace. The women lamented:

"Where is our protector going? He who was a refuge for the defenseless, weak, and miserable. Where is he, who never became angry even when provoked, who calmed those enraged, and shared in our sorrows? Where is that magnanimous one who treated us with the same respect as his mother Kausalya (Rama's birth mother)?"

They continued, "Tormented by Kaikeyi (Rama's stepmother), the king has ordered him to the forest. Where is he, the protector of our people and the whole world, going now?"

The King's Folly and the City's Grief (2.41.6 - 2.41.8)

The women criticized the king's decision: "Alas, the king must be senseless to send away Rama, who is dear to all, righteous, and truthful, to dwell in the forest."

All the royal wives wept loudly like cows separated from their calves. The king, already devastated by his son's departure, grew even more distressed upon hearing these dreadful wailings from the inner chambers.

The City's Despair (2.41.9 - 2.41.13)

The impact of Rama's exile was severe and far-reaching. The normal routines of life in Ayodhya (the capital city) were disrupted:

• Sacred fires were not lit for sacrifices (agnihotra)

• Householders did not cook

• People neglected their daily chores

• The sun seemed to dim

• Elephants dropped their food

• Cows did not nurse their calves

• Even new mothers found no joy in their firstborn sons

Furthermore, celestial bodies appeared disturbed:

• Planets like Mars (Lohitanga), Jupiter (Brihaspati), and Mercury (Budha) took positions near the moon

• Stars lost their radiance

• Planets dimmed

• The Visakha constellation appeared shrouded in smoke

After Rama's departure to the forest, the city of Ayodhya shook as if a great ocean had been stirred by strong winds.

Nature's Response and the People's Sorrow (2.41.14 - 2.41.21)

The natural world seemed to react to Rama's exile:

• Darkness covered all directions

• No celestial bodies shone

• The wind ceased to blow cool

• The moon lost its pleasant appearance

• The sun no longer warmed the earth

The people of Ayodhya were overcome with sorrow:

• They lost interest in food and entertainment

• Everyone in the city constantly sighed deeply

• People on the streets had tear-filled faces

• No one looked happy; all were plunged in grief

Family bonds were temporarily forgotten as everyone thought only of Rama. His friends, bewildered by sorrow, could not leave their beds.

The narrator compares Ayodhya without Rama to the earth without Indra (the king of gods). The city, filled with warriors, elephants, and horses, shook dreadfully, afflicted by fear and sorrow.

This concludes the forty first chapter (sarga) of Ayodhyakanda, the second book of the Ramayana, the great epic composed by the sage Valmiki.