Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 17

Meaning

Mounting his chariot, the glorious Śrī Rāma, who brought immense joy to his friends and relations, wherever he went, beheld from his chariot the city of Ayodhyā, which was richly provided with buntings and flags, nay, fumigated with the incense of precious aloe-wood and was crowded with various types of men. In this way Śrī Rāma drove through the middle of the road, which was adorned with white houses looking like so many clouds and was fumigated with the incense of aloe-wood. Like Indra, the ruler of gods, in heaven, he also saw that excellent road, the right royal road, which was uninfested with thieves and robbers and looked charming with shops containing heaps of superb sandalwood and aloe-wood and other fragrant substances as well as of linen and silk, unpierced pearls and excellent crystals too, nay, which was heaped on the margin with flowers and edibles of various kinds, and whose crossings were ever adorned with curds, grains of unbroken rice, materials worth offering as oblation to the sacred fire, parched grains of paddy, incense of various kinds and paste of sandal-wood and aloe-wood and various kinds of flowers and perfumes. Hearing the numerous blessings invoked by friends and duly honouring all men, who invoked such blessings according to their respective position, Śrī Rāma drove along. Addressing Śrī Rāma, they said : “Resorting to the well-known path of righteousness trodden by your father and grandfather and great grandfather, when installed in the office of Prince Regent today, keep to it.” Again, they said to one another : “When Śrī Rāma is crowned king, we shall all live even more happily than we did when we were sustained by his father, King Daśaratha, and by all his forefathers. (1—9)

Meaning

“Indeed we shall have no use for enjoyment of any sort nor for the varieties of Mokṣa (final beatitude), only if we see Śrī Rāma coming out of the palace of King Daśaratha after being installed as Prince Regent today. (10)

Meaning

“For, nothing else will be dearer to us than the installation on the throne of Śrī Rāma, who is invested with immense glory.” (11)

Meaning

Śrī Rāma drove along the main road hearing unconcernedly the aforesaid and other favourable talks of his friends and relations, eulogizing himself. (12)

Meaning

Even when Śrī Rāma (a scion of Raghu) had passed by, no man (much less woman) could turn his mind or eyes away from that jewel among men. (13)

Meaning

He who did not behold Śrī Rāma and whom Śrī Rāma did not notice was indeed despised in the eyes of all men; even his own self would reproach him. (14)

Meaning

Since that pious-minded prince would show compassion, commensurate, of course, with their age, to all people belonging to the four grades of society and even outside their pale, they were accordingly devoted to him in thought, word and deed. (15)

Meaning

The heir apparent drove along leaving cross-roads, temples, places sacred to the tutelary deities of a village and schools to his right as a token of respect. (16)

Meaning

Reaching the royal palace with its beautiful attics of various patterns resembling masses of clouds and vying with the peak of Kailāsa as well as with its snow-white pleasure-houses adorned with bunches of precious stones and rising above the sky like so many aerial cars, the heir apparent, who was glowing with his native splendour, entered the well-known palace of his father, the foremost of all mansions on the globe and resembling the palace of the mighty Indra. (17-19 )

Meaning

Having passed through the first three gates, guarded, as they were, by bowmen, in a chariot drawn by horses, that jewel among men walked through the other two gates on foot. (20)

Meaning

Passing through all the five gates and politely sending back all men who accompanied him, Śrī Rāma, son of Daśaratha, entered the sacred gynaeceum. (21)

Meaning

The aforesaid prince having made his way into the presence of his royal father on that occasion, the whole crowd, full of joy, awaited his coming back from the palace even as the ocean awaits the rising of the moon. (22)