पताकाभिर्वरार्हाभिर्ध्वजैश्च समलङ्कृताम्।
वृतां छन्दपथैश्चापि शिरःस्नातजनैर्वृताम्॥
माल्यमोदकहस्तैश्च द्विजेन्द्रैरभिनादिताम्।
शुक्लदेवगृहद्वारां सर्ववादित्रनिस्वनाम्॥
सम्प्रहृष्टजनाकीर्णां ब्रह्मघोषाभिनादिताम्।
प्रहृष्टवरहस्त्यश्वां सम्प्रणर्दितगोवृषाम्॥
प्रहृष्टमुदितैः पौरैरुच्छ्रितध्वजमालिनीम्।
अयोध्यां मन्थरा दृष्ट्वा परं विस्मयमागता॥
patākābhir varārhābhir dhvajaiś ca samalaṅkṛtām
vṛtāṁ chanda-pathaiś cāpi śiraḥ-snāta-janair vṛtām
mālya-modaka-hastaiś ca dvijendrair abhināditām
śukla-deva-gṛha-dvārāṁ sarva-vāditra-nisvanām
samprahṛṣṭa-janākīrṇāṁ brahma-ghoṣābhināditām
prahṛṣṭa-vara-hasty-aśvāṁ sampraṇardita-go-vṛṣām
prahṛṣṭa-muditaiḥ paurair ucchrita-dhvaja-mālinīm
ayodhyāṁ mantharā dṛṣṭvā paraṁ vismayam āgatā
patākābhiḥ = and without paintings; vara-arhābhiḥ = with excellent; dhvajaiḥ ca = flags with; samalaṅkṛtām = Ayodhyā was fully decorated; vṛtām = it was filled; chanda-pathaiḥ ca api = with sidewalks to enable people’s movement to and fro as they liked; śiraḥ-snāta-janaiḥ = people who had bathed up to their heads; vṛtām = it was filled with; mālya-modaka-hastaiḥ ca = with garlands and sweets in their hands; dvija-indraiḥ = with the best of the twiceborn; abhināditām = it was resounding; śukla-deva-gṛha-dvārām = the temples in Ayodhyā had their doors whitewashed; sarva-vāditra-nisvanām = and Ayodhyā was filled with the sound of all musical instruments; samprahṛṣṭa-jana-ākīrṇām = it was crowded with greatly delighted people; brahma-ghoṣa-abhināditām = and filled with the sound of the recitations of Vedic mantras 3; prahṛṣṭa-vara-hasti-aśvām = In Ayodhyā, fine elephants and horses were delighted; sampraṇardita-go-vṛṣām = while bulls roared in happines; prahṛṣṭa-muditaiḥ = by ecstatic and satisfied; pauraiḥ = residents of the city; ucchrita-dhvaja-mālinīm = the city was filled with flags erected for the festivity; ayodhyām = Ayodhyā; mantharā = Mantharā; dṛṣṭvā = upon seeing; param = extremely; vismayam = astonished; āgatā = became.
Upon seeing Ayodhyā, Mantharā became extremely astonished. Ayodhyā was fully decorated with excellent flags with and without paintings. It was filled with sidewalks to enable people’s movement to and fro as they liked. It was filled with people who had bathed up to their heads. It was resounding with the best of the twiceborn with garlands and sweets in their hands. The temples in Ayodhyā had their doors whitewashed, and Ayodhyā was filled with the sound of all musical instruments. It was crowded with greatly delighted people and filled with the sound of the recitations of Vedic mantras. In Ayodhyā, fine elephants and horses were delighted while bulls roared in happiness. The city was filled with flags erected for the festivity by ecstatic and satisfied residents of the city.
The best of the twiceborn had garlands and sweets in their hands because they wanted to gift them to Śrī Rāma. Rāma’s coronation brought happiness even to the animals. Therefore, fine elephants and horses were delighted while bulls roared in happiness.
The flags referred to in text 3 were those that were hoisted on a daily basis, but the flages referred to in text 6 were specifically set up for this festivity [of Rāma’s coronation] by the residents of the city who were ecstatic with their hairs standing on end and so on, and who were satisfied in their minds.
NOTE. Regarding bathing up to one’s head, Śrīla Prabhupāda notes:
According to the smṛti-śāstra’s directions for daily duties, ladies are allowed to bathe daily up to the neck. The hair on the head does not necessarily have to be washed daily because the mass of wet hair may cause a cold. For ladies, therefore, taking a bath up to the neck is ordinarily prescribed, and they take a full bath only on certain occasions. (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.23.31 purport)