Shloka 2.74.34
भरतस्य कैकेयी-गर्हा तथा सुरभि-दृष्टान्तः (Bharata’s Reproach of Kaikeyi and the Surabhi Exemplum)
अहमप्यवनीं प्राप्ते रामे सत्यपराक्रमे।कृतकृत्यो भविष्यामि विप्रवासितकल्मषः।।।।
sā tvam agniṃ praviśa vā svayaṃ vā daṇḍakān viśa |
rajjuṃ badhāna vā kaṇṭhe na hi te ’nyat parāyaṇam ||
You—go enter fire, or go yourself into the Dandaka wilderness, or fasten a rope around your neck; for you there is no other refuge left.
When Rama who has truth as his prowess accepts the kingdom, I shall have accomplished my purpose at last and I shall be free from all blemishes.
The verse reflects the perceived gravity of adharma: Bharata treats Kaikeyi’s act as so destructive that only extreme self-removal or penance seems adequate—highlighting the seriousness of moral transgression.
In anger and grief, Bharata urges Kaikeyi toward extreme options, expressing that she has forfeited ordinary moral standing and social refuge.
Zeal for justice (though expressed harshly): Bharata’s intolerance of adharma and his insistence that wrongdoing must not be normalized.