Ramayana — Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 69, Shloka 8

भरतस्य दुःस्वप्नदर्शनम्

Bharata’s Ominous Dream

Devanagari script

स्वप्ने पितरमद्राक्षं मलिनं मुक्त मूर्धजम्।पतन्तमद्रिशिखरात्कलुषे गोमयह्रदे।।।।

Transliteration

svapne pitaram adrākṣaṃ malinaṃ mukta-mūrdhajam |

patantam adri-śikharāt kaluṣe gomaya-hrade ||

Translation

In a dream I saw my father—pale and unkempt, his hair dishevelled—falling from a mountain peak into a foul pool filled with cow-dung.

Word by Word

• svapne: in a dream
• svapne: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: svapna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (Avyaya); सप्तमी-अर्थे अव्ययीभाववत् प्रयोगः: ‘स्वप्ने’ = in dream (locative sense)

• pitaram: father
• pitaram: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• adrākṣam: I saw
• adrākṣam: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: लुङ् (Aorist), परस्मैपद, उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन; धातु: √दृश् ‘to see’

• malinam: dirty, soiled
• malinam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: malina (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying ‘pitaram’)

• mukta-mūrdhajam: with loosened/dishevelled hair
• mukta-mūrdhajam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mukta (कृदन्त; √muc धातु, क्त) + mūrdhaja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (Tatpurusha): ‘मुक्ताः मूर्धजाः यस्य’ इति अर्थे (loosened hair); पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (of ‘pitaram’)

• patantam: falling
• patantam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pat (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमान कृदन्त (Present active participle, Parasmaipada): ‘पतन्’; पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (of ‘pitaram’)

• adri-śikharāt: from the mountain peak
• adri-śikharāt: Apadana (अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: adri (प्रातिपदिक) + śikhara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (Tatpurusha): ‘अद्रेः शिखरम्’ (mountain-peak); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी विभक्ति (Ablative/5th), एकवचन

• kaluṣe: in the filthy (pool)
• kaluṣe: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kaluṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), सप्तमी विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (of ‘hrade’)

• gomaya-hrade: in a pool filled with cow dung
• gomaya-hrade: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gomaya (प्रातिपदिक) + hrada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (Tatpurusha): ‘गोमयस्य ह्रदः’ (pool of cow-dung); पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (Locative/7th), एकवचन

Context

Addressing his companion who was speaking thus, Bharata replied, saying Listen to the reason this desolation has overtaken me:

Characters & Entities

• Bharata
• Dasharatha (implied as ‘father’)
• mountain peak (adri-śikhara)

FAQs

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

Dharma is expressed as filial responsibility and vigilance: Bharata’s heart reads the dream as a warning, intensifying his concern for his father and the kingdom’s moral order.

What is the narrative situation?

Bharata recounts an ominous dream in which he sees his father in a degraded, dangerous condition.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Filial devotion and moral sensitivity—Bharata is deeply shaken by signs of possible calamity.