१
प्रथमोऽङ्कः
Rāma loses the throne and leaves for the forest.
Summary
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Preparations for the coronation of Rāma fill the palace with golden jars, auspicious drums, and gathered citizens. The ceremony halts after a whisper from Mantharā. Rāma removes his jewelry and accepts a fourteen-year exile to the forest. Lakṣmaṇa brandishes his bow in fury, but Rāma chooses obedience to his father over the throne. Sītā and Lakṣmaṇa don valkala garments to join him. They depart for the woods as the aged king appears, his limbs covered in dust.
२
द्वितीयोऽङ्कः
King Daśaratha dies from grief after Rāma leaves.
Summary
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Daśaratha collapses as Rāma, Lakṣmaṇa, and Sītā depart for the forest. Horses and elephants refuse fodder while citizens watch the empty road in silence. The king laments his loss, likening the trio to the sun, the day, and a shadow. When the chariot returns without them, his sight fails. He reproaches Kaikeyī for sending the princes away before envisioning his ancestors Dilīpa, Raghu, and Aja. Recognizing his time has come, the king prepares to join his forefathers.
३
तृतीयोऽङ्कः
Bharata learns of his father's death and brother's exile.
Summary
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Bharata rushes toward Ayodhyā, his chariot wheels spinning so fast the spokes vanish. He stops at a royal gallery and discovers a new statue of Daśaratha among his ancestors, signaling his father’s death. When Kaikeyī arrives, she reveals that Rāma, Lakṣmaṇa, and Sītā have entered the forest clad in bark to satisfy a marriage-price. Horrified by this greed, Bharata denounces his mother as a foul stream between the Gaṅgā and Yamunā. Rejecting the throne, he declares that Ayodhyā exists only where Rāma dwells and vows to find him.
४
चतुर्थोऽङ्कः
Bharata meets Rama and receives his sandals to rule.
Summary
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Bharata journeys to the penance grove to seek Rāma after the king’s death. Hearing a voice resembling his father’s, Rāma greets his brother alongside Sītā and Lakṣmaṇa. Bharata urges Rāma to return to the capital, yet Rāma refuses to break his father’s command. Conceding to this resolve, Bharata asks for Rāma’s pādukā to govern the kingdom. He departs with the sandals, promising to protect the realm as a steward until Rāma’s return from exile.
५
पञ्चमोऽङ्कः
Rāvaṇa disguises himself and kidnaps Sītā from the forest.
Summary
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Rāma observes receding floodwaters and Sītā's toil in the forest. While preparing a śrāddha ritual for his father, he encounters Rāvaṇa disguised as a mendicant. The demon lures Rāma away by describing golden deer in the himavat mountains. Left alone, Sītā is confronted by the ten-headed king, who reveals his identity and boasts of conquering the gods. Despite her curse, he seizes her and departs, challenging Rāma to prove his kṣātradharma through battle.
६
षष्ठोऽङ्कः
Sumantra reports Sītā's kidnapping and Bharata prepares for war.
Summary
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Sumantra returns with a face withered by grief to report Sītā’s abduction. He describes Rāvaṇa seizing her like a struggling creeper while the vulture Jaṭāyu fought with beak and iron-sharp claws before falling like a shattered tree. Bharata learns of Rāma’s alliance with the exiled Sugrīva and the completion of a sage’s curse upon his late father. Hearing of the assault on the house of Ikṣvāku, Bharata vows to lead an army of elephants to the sea to destroy Rāvaṇa.
७
सप्तमोऽङ्कः
Rāma returns from exile and is consecrated as king.
Summary
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Rāma descends from the celestial vimāna to the forest floor, having defeated the enemy. Sages offer praise while Jānakī walks among the wives of ascetics. Bharata arrives with a great army, signaled by the sound of conches and dust rising like lodhra flowers. After a reunion of brothers, the sages perform a royal consecration using river waters. Rāma accepts the crown and the white umbrella of sovereignty. He prepares to return to Ayodhyā to protect the world through dharma.
॥ इति प्रतिमानाटकम् ॥
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