Rāmāyana | Ayodhyā Kaṇḍa | Chapter 67

67. Brahmins Suggestion

[The Brahmins assemble next morning and want a king to be selected from the Ikshvāku clan immediately. They then list out all the problems that will arise if a king is not there for a country]

The night of that day in Ayodhyā stretched without end, somehow got over with crowded people choked in sorrow and rendered greatly cheerless. 67.1

When the night came to an end and the sun rose up, the Brahmins who were entrusted with the job of choosing the king assembled in the royal hall. 67.2

The very famous, Mārkaṇḍeya, Moudhgalya, Vāmadeva. Kaśyapa, Kātyāyana, Gautama and Jābāli along with the ministers and approached chief priest Vasiṣṭha and expressed their opinions and expressed different opinions. 67.3-67.4

"That orphaned night was like a period of one hundred years, having lost its lord due to the sorrow of parting with his son." 67.5

"The king has gone to heaven, Rāma had gone to the forest and lustrous Lakṣmaṇa had gone along with his brother" 67.6

"Both Bhārata and Śatrughna who were destroyer of their enemies had gone to the pretty city of Kaikeyi called Rajagriha to live with their maternal grandfather." 67.7

"Let anyone belonging to the clan of Ikshvāku be made the king now itself, since the kingdom would attain destruction without the king." 67.8

"In a country without the king, the garland of lightning and thunders does not drench the earth with its divine rains." 67.9

"In a country without a king, even a handful of seeds will not be sown and the son or wife does not obey the words of the head of the family." 67.10

"There is no wealth in the country without a king and even the wife would not stay with her husband and another great peril when there is no king is that truth will also not exist." 67.11

"In a country without king, people do not build buildings and gardens for recreation and temples do not exist." 67.12

"In a country without a king learned and self-controlled Brahmins, who are well versed in Vedas and who have the habit of performing sacrifices do not perform Yagnas." 67.13

"In a country without kings, the wealthy Brahmins do not give abundant gifts to those who are chief priests of great sacrifices." 67.14

"In a country without a king the innumerable dancers and actors do not prosper during festivals or activities promoting the welfare of the country." 67.15

"In a country without a king, those engaged in law suits do not get their problems solved and those who are experts in telling of stories do not entertain the listeners of those stories." 67.16

"In a country without a king youthful ornamented ladies do not meet in pleasure gardens in the evening and get engaged in sports." 67.17

"In a country without a king, pleasure seeking men do not drive in a chariot along with their women in to the forests." 67.18

"In a country without a king, the rich people who have earned their money by cultivation and cattle rearing cannot sleep securely in their homes with doors wide open." 67.19

"In a country without a king the sixty year old elephants with long tusks and also adorned with bells cannot wander about in the royal avenues." 67.20

"In a country without a king, the clapping of the leather shields protecting the hands of archers who shoot arrows incessantly for practice is not heard." 67.21

"In a country without a king merchants cannot travel long distances with several kinds of marketable goods safely." 67.22

"In a country without a king, the sages who move about alone contemplating on the higher self, who seek residence in homes at evening times do not wander about." 67.23

"In a country without a king, the well-being of people are not taken care of and the army cannot oppose the enemy in a battle." 67.24

"In a country without a king, you cannot see well-dressed men riding on the best of the horses or chariots for getting happiness." 67.25

"In a country without a king, men who are experts in Śāstras do not sit for discussions in forests and in gardens." 67.26

"In a country without a king, the religiously disciplined people do not offer garlands of flowers, sweets and monetary charities while worshipping gods." 67.27

"In a country where there is no king, the princes who anoint themselves with sandal paste and aguru. look like trees in spring and do not look graceful." 67.28

"The country without a king is like rivers without water, trees without vegetation, cows without cowherds." 67.29

"The flag is the identification of a chariot, smoke is the identification of fire and we are without a magnificent king as he has gone to heaven." 67.30

"In a country without a king, no person can own anything as his own and men like fishes eat one another." 67.31

"The atheists who go beyond moral bounds and living without any fears, due to the fear of punishment of the king would also follow the path of virtue." 67.32

"like the sight daily watches over the welfare of the body, that king is the source of protection of truth and Dharma of the country." 67.33

"The king is the truth and Dharma. The king is the tradition of every family. The king is the mother and father and King is the welfare of the people." 67.34

"For that reason, a king with great characters excels the god of death, the god of wealth, and very strong god of rain." 67.35

"If the king does not happen to differentiate between good and bad actions, there would be darkness and nothing would be visible." 67.36

"Even when the king was alive, we used to obey your words like the ocean which never over steps its shore." 67.37

"Oh great Brahmin considering all these, please choose a son of Ikshvāku race and anoint him as a king because, without a king the country is like a forest." 67.38

This is the end of Sixty Seventh Sarga of Ayodhyā Kanda which occurs in Holy Rāmāyaṇa composed by Vālmīki as the First Epic.