Valmiki Ramayana 2.73.4 — Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 73, Shloka 4
भरतस्य कैकेय्याः प्रति धिक्कारः
Bharata’s Rebuke of Kaikeyi and Affirmation of Ikshvaku Royal Dharma
कुलस्य त्वमभावाय कालरात्रिरिवाऽगता।अङ्गारमुपगूह्य स्म पिता मे नावबुद्धवान्।।।।
kulasya tvam abhāvāya kālarātrir ivāgatā |
aṅgāram upagūhya sma pitā me nāvabuddhavān ||
Du bist gekommen wie die Nacht des Verderbens, zum Untergang dieses Geschlechts; mein Vater erkannte nicht, dass er, als er dich umarmte, eine glühende Kohle umschloss.
You have come here for the destruction of this race, like a fatal night. My father did not realize that he was embracing a live charcoal.
FAQs
The verse warns that adharma entering intimate spaces (marriage, counsel) can consume an entire polity; rulers must discern character and counsel wisely to protect kula and rāṣṭra.
Bharata bitterly characterizes Kaikeyi as the destructive force behind the family’s collapse, lamenting Dasharatha’s failure to foresee the danger.
Discernment (viveka) is emphasized indirectly by its absence in Dasharatha’s misjudgment and by Bharata’s sharp moral clarity.
Ask anything about this verse
Curious about the meaning, context, or a word? Ask, and continue the conversation in the Vedapath app.
A free Google sign-in keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Valmiki Ramayana in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with audio, word-by-word meanings, and more.