पितृमरणश्रवणं जलक्रिया च (Hearing of Daśaratha’s death and the libation rites at Mandākinī)
महाबलानां रुदतां कुर्वतामुदकं पितुः।विज्ञाय तुमुलं शब्दं त्रस्ता भरत सैनिकाः।।।
mahābalānāṃ rudatāṃ kurvatām udakaṃ pituḥ |
vijñāya tumulaṃ śabdaṃ trastā bharatasainikāḥ ||
Hearing the tumultuous sound raised by those mighty men—lamenting as they offered water to their father—Bharata’s soldiers grew alarmed.
The soldiers of Bharata were alarmed on hearing the tumultuous sounds raised by those mighty brothers offering libations of water and lamenting.
Dharma as śrāddha-like duty: offering water to the departed is a righteous act of remembrance and responsibility, even in exile and crisis.
The brothers’ intense lamentation during the water-offering creates a loud uproar that startles the accompanying army.
Reverence and duty toward ancestors: the rite for the father is treated as essential, not optional.