अष्टादशः सर्गः
Kaikeyī Discloses the Boons: Exile to Daṇḍaka and Bharata’s Consecration
भरतस्त्वभिषिच्येत यदेतदभिषेचनम्।त्वदर्थे विहितं राज्ञा तेन सर्वेण राघव।।।।
bharatas tv abhiṣicyeta yad etad abhiṣecanam |
tvadarthe vihitaṃ rājñā tena sarveṇa rāghava ||2.18.36||
Und mit eben diesen Vorbereitungen zur Weihe—die der König deinetwegen getroffen hat, o Rāghava—soll Bharata gesalbt werden.
Bharata shall be consecrated, O descendant of the Raghu dynasty with all these preparations made by the king to install you.
The verse raises the ethical tension between procedural legitimacy (using arranged abhiṣeka preparations) and moral legitimacy (rightful succession), a central dharma-conflict in Ayodhyā.
Kaikeyī states that Bharata should be installed using the very coronation arrangements originally made for Rāma.
Rāma’s virtue is implied by contrast: even when wronged, he upholds dharma through restraint and adherence to promise.