Valmiki Ramayana 2.74.24 — Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 74, Shloka 24
भरतस्य कैकेयी-गर्हा तथा सुरभि-दृष्टान्तः
Bharata’s Reproach of Kaikeyi and the Surabhi Exemplum
शान्तं पापं न वः किञ्चित्कुतश्चिदमराधिपः।अहं मग्नौ तु शोचामि स्वपुत्रौ विषमे स्थितौ।।2.74.23।।एतौ दृष्ट्वा कृशौ दीनौ सूर्यरश्मिप्रतापितौ।बाध्यमानौ बलीवर्धौ कर्षकेण सुराधिप।।2.74.24।।
śāntaṁ pāpaṁ na vaḥ kiñcit kutaścid amarādhipaḥ | ahaṁ magnau tu śocāmi svaputrau viṣame sthitau ||
ētau dṛṣṭvā kṛśau dīnau sūryaraśmipratāpitau | bādhyamānau balīvardhau karṣakeṇa surādhipa ||
حاشا لله، يا ربَّ الخالدين، فما نزل بكم من أيِّ جهةٍ سوء. إنما أنا التي أحزن على ابنيَّ في الضيق؛ إذ رأيتُ هذين الثورين بائسين نحيلين، قد لَفَحَتهما الشمس ويضربهما فلاحٌ، غصصتُ بالحزن وغرقتُ في الأسى.
'God forbid, O Indra, lord of the Immortals no calamity has befallen you from any quarter. Only I am in trouble. I am weeping for these pair of bulls, my own sons who are in difficulty. When I see them scorched by the rays of the Sun, miserable, emaciated and weeping, beaten by a ploughman, I am immersed in grief'.
FAQs
The verse reiterates that cruelty toward dependent beings violates compassionate dharma; suffering demands moral response.
A repeated/parallel transmission of Surabhi’s explanation of her grief (as preserved in this Southern Recension input).
Steadfast parental concern—love that cannot ignore the pain of one’s children.
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