स रामोरथमास्थायसंप्रैदृष्टसुहृज्जनः।
पताकाध्वजसंपन्नंमहाहगरुधूपितम्।
अपश्यन्नगरं श्रीमान्नानाजनसमाकुलम्॥
sa rāmo ratham āsthāya samprahṛṣṭa-suhṛj-janaḥ
patākā-dhvaja-sampannaṁ mahārhāgaru-dhūpitam
apaśyan nagaraṁ śrīmān nānā-jana-samākulam
saḥ = the; rāmaḥ = Rāma; ratham = on His chariot; āsthāya = stood and; samprahṛṣṭa-suhṛt-janaḥ = who had delighted His well-wishers; patākā-dhvaja-sampannam = it was filled with flags with and without names; mahā-arha-agaru-dhūpitam = it was fragrant with the scent of very valuable agaru; apaśyan = observed; nagaram = the city of Ayodhyā; śrīmān = prosperous; nānā-jana-samākulam = and crowded with many people.
The prosperous Rāma who had delighted His well-wishers stood on His chariot and observed the city of Ayodhyā. It was filled with flags with and without names. It was fragrant with the scent of very valuable agaru and crowded with many people.
1 The glossator quotes Medinī (patākā vaijayantyāṁ syāt saubhāgye nāṭakāṅkayoḥ) and Dhanañjaya (dhvajaḥ patākā-ketuś ca).
2 The glossator has split nānā-jana as nānā-ajana which is grammatically feasible. Jana can mean “birth [and rebirth]” on the basis of Śrī Madhvācārya’s statement in his Gītā-bhāṣya where he analyzes the meaning of the expression janārdana thus: janaṁ jananam ardayatīti janārdanaḥ.
3 In Canto 7, we find that all the residents of Ayodhyā were liberated.
Rāma went to meet His father Daśaratha. This is described in this chapter.
GLOSS. Patākā-dhvaja-sampannam indicates that the city of Ayodhyā was filled with flags that heralded good fortune.1 [Nānā-jana-samākulam can also be read as nānājana-samākulam] which indicates that the residents of the city were liberated souls free from birth, and by extension, old age, death and so on.2 This should be understood with reference to Canto 7 (Uttara-kāṇḍa).3