Valmiki Ramayana · Ayodhya Kanda · Sarga 1
आसीदिक्ष्वाकुवंशस्य महाराजो महायशाः ।
श्रीमान् रघुकुलश्रेष्ठो राजा दशरथो महान् ॥
There was, in the Ikshvaku dynasty, a great and highly glorious king — the illustrious Dasharatha, foremost of the Raghu clan, a great ruler.
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इक्ष्वाकु वंश में एक महान और अत्यन्त यशस्वी राजा थे — श्रीमान् रघुकुलश्रेष्ठ महाराज दशरथ।
Ayodhya Kanda opens with a description of the city of Ayodhya itself — the capital of the Ikshvaku kings. The city is described as vast, well-planned, and prosperous. This verse establishes the grandeur of the setting that will soon become the backdrop for Rama's exile. The contrast between Ayodhya's splendour and the forest exile to come is deliberate.
अयोध्या — the unconquerable cityइक्ष्वाकु — the solar dynasty of ancient India