Valmiki Ramayana 2.73.1: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 73, Shloka 1
भरतस्य कैकेय्याः प्रति धिक्कारः · Bharata’s Rebuke of Kaikeyi and Affirmation of Ikshvaku Royal Dharma
Setting: अयोध्या (news received; palace/court context)
सश्रूत्वा तु पितरं वृत्तं भ्रातरौ च विवासितौ ।
भरतो दुःखसन्तप्त इदं वचनमब्रवीत् ॥१॥
sa śrutvā tu pitaraṃ vṛttaṃ bhrātarau ca vivāsitau |
bharato duḥkha-santapta idaṃ vacanam abravīt ||1||
Als er hörte, dass sein Vater dahingegangen und seine beiden Brüder ins Exil gesandt worden waren, sprach Bharata, von Kummer verzehrt, diese Worte.
Sandhi Notes
- saśrūtvā → saḥ śrutvā
- duḥkhasantapta → duḥkha-santaptaḥ
- vacanamabravīt → vacanam abravīt
On hearing about the demise of the father and his two brothers sent in exile, Bharata overtaken by sorrow spoke thus:
The teaching
In calamity, dharma is tested: grief must be transformed into right action that protects both family honor and the realm.
Duties in tension
- पितृ-श्राद्ध/शोक-कर्तव्य vs राज्य-रक्षण/उत्तराधिकार-व्यवस्था
- भ्रातृ-भक्ति (restore Rāma) vs राजकीय दबाव (accept throne)
- Ethical theme
- Rāja-dharma / pitṛ-dharma / bhrātṛ-dharma
- How it resolves
- Deliberative resolve toward restoring rightful dharma (seeking Rāma)
For your practice
Contemplate impermanence; convert grief into dharmic resolve; practice steadiness (dhṛti) amid loss.
Mood and themes
- Rasa
- Karuna (compassion), with Bhayanaka (fear)
- Mood
- Shattered, burning, urgent
Themes
- Itihasa
- Dharma
- Grief
- Family duty
- Kingship crisis
Śoka arises from attachment and mistaken security in the perishable; the crisis pushes toward discernment and dharmic action.
The movement from grief to inquiry/action parallels the Upaniṣadic pattern where sorrow becomes the spur to seek what is deathless.
Ayodhyākāṇḍa 2.73 (Bharata’s lament and response); Rāmacaritamānasa Ayodhyākāṇḍa (Bharata’s grief on hearing the news—parallel episode)
Mahābhārata succession crises after a king’s death (general thematic parallel)
Ayodhyākāṇḍa: Daśaratha’s death narrative; exile decree passages leading to this revelation
अनुष्टुप्
Grieving
Lower register, slow tempo; heavy nyāsa on ‘दुःखसन्तप्त’
FAQs
Dharma here is the immediate moral awakening to familial and royal responsibility: hearing of injustice (exile) and loss (death), Bharata is moved to respond, not remain indifferent.
Bharata receives the shocking news: Daśaratha has died and Rāma (with Lakṣmaṇa) has been exiled; this sets the stage for Bharata’s ensuing speech.
Compassionate integrity—Bharata’s grief signals love and moral seriousness, anticipating his refusal to benefit from wrongdoing.
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