Canto 2 -
Ayodhyā-kāṇḍa
Chapter 48: The Ladies in Ayodhyā Lament
Text 2.48.4
न चाहृष्यन्न चामोदन्वणिजो न प्रसारयन्।
न चाशोभन्त पुण्यानि नापचन्गृहमेधिनः॥
na cāhṛṣyan na cāmodan vaṇijo na prasārayan
na cāśobhanta puṇyāni nāpacan gṛha-medhinaḥ
na ca = not; ahṛṣyan = they were happy; na ca = not; amodan = they were delighted; vaṇijaḥ = the merchants; na = not; prasārayan = did spread out their wares [for sale]; na ca aśobhanta = didn’t look beautiful; puṇyāni = the results of their pious acts; na = not; apacan = did cook; gṛha-medhinaḥ = the householders.
They were not happy. They were not delighted. The merchants did not spread out their wares [for sale]. The results of their pious acts didn’t look beautiful. The householders did not cook.
They were not happy by meeting their well-wishers. They were not delighted upon attaining unprecedented gains. The results of their pious acts, that is, their children, wives and so on, didn’t look beautiful. The householders did not cook through their wives who were half of their bodies [according to the scriptures].