Shloka 2.69.10

भरतस्य दुःस्वप्नदर्शनम् — Bharata’s Ominous Dream

Devanagari script

ततस्तिलौदनं भुक्त्वा पुनः पुनरधश्शिराः।तैलेनाभ्यक्तसर्वाङ्गः तैलमेवान्वगाहत।।।।

Transliteration

tatas tilaudanaṃ bhuktvā punaḥ punar adhaḥ-śirāḥ | tailenābhyakta-sarvāṅgas tailam evānvagāhata || 2.69.10 ||

Translation

Then I saw him eating rice cooked with sesame; his whole body smeared with oil, he plunged headlong again and again into oil itself.

Context

Thereafter I beheld him eating rice cooked with sesame seeds, his body besmeared with oil plunging again and again into it (the pool).

Characters & Entities

• Bharata
• tilaudana (sesame rice)
• taila (oil)

FAQs

What is the core ethical principle (Dharma) in this verse?

The verse uses ominous imagery to indicate impending impurity and mourning; it warns that when dharma is disturbed, signs of disorder appear even in the psyche.

What is the narrative situation?

Within Bharata’s dream sequence, he witnesses disturbing ritual-like images associated with inauspiciousness and death.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Moral intuition—Bharata’s mind registers the gravity of events before he learns the facts.