पितृमरणश्रवणं जलक्रिया च (Hearing of Daśaratha’s death and the libation rites at Mandākinī)
सीते मृतस्ते श्वशुरः पित्रा हीनोऽसि लक्ष्मण।भरतो दुःखमाचष्टे स्वर्गतं पृथिवीपतिम्।।।।
sīte mṛtas te śvaśuraḥ pitrā hīno 'si lakṣmaṇa |
bharato duḥkham ācāṣṭe svargataṃ pṛthivīpatim ||
“Sītā, your father-in-law has died. Lakṣmaṇa, you are bereft of your father. Bharata brings the sorrowful tidings that the lord of the earth has gone to heaven.”
O Sita, your father-in-law is dead. O Lakshmana, you are deprived of your father. Bharata is relating to me the sad news that king Dasaratha has attained his heavenly abode.
Satya (truth) expressed with responsibility: Rama conveys painful facts directly, enabling the family to perform the required rites and meet dharmic obligations after a death.
Rama informs Sita and Lakshmana that Dasharatha has died and that Bharata has brought this grievous news.
Rama’s truthful clarity and sense of duty—he prioritizes necessary disclosure over avoidance, even when it intensifies grief.