Shloka 2.74.16

भरतस्य कैकेयी-गर्हा तथा सुरभि-दृष्टान्तः (Bharata’s Reproach of Kaikeyi and the Surabhi Exemplum)

Devanagari script

तावर्धदिवसे श्रान्तौ दृष्ट्वा पुत्रौ महीतले।रुरोद पुत्रशोकेन बाष्पपर्याकुलेक्षणा।।।।

Transliteration

tāv ardhadivase śrāntau dṛṣṭvā putrau mahītale | ruroda putraśokena bāṣpaparyākulekṣaṇā ||

Translation

Seeing her two sons, weary at midday and lying on the ground, she wept from sorrow for her children, her eyes clouded with tears.

Context

On seeing her two sons lying on earth exhausted, she wailed in distress for them with her eyes filled with tears.

Characters & Entities

• Bharata
• Kaikeyi
• Surabhī

FAQs

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

The verse highlights the moral weight of causing suffering to dependents; a mother’s anguish is portrayed as a serious ethical matter.

What is the narrative situation?

In the Surabhī exemplum, the divine cow grieves upon seeing her sons collapsed from toil.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Karunā (compassion), expressed through the immediacy of a mother’s protective sorrow.