Shloka 2.75.48

अयोध्याकाण्डे पञ्चसप्ततितमः सर्गः (Sarga 75: Bharata and Kausalya—Reproach, Oaths, and Reconciliation)

Devanagari script

अपास्य मातृशुश्रूषामनर्थे सोऽवतिष्ठताम्।दीर्घबाहुर्महावक्षा: यस्यार्योऽनुमते गतः।।।।

Transliteration

apāsya mātṛ-śuśrūṣām anarthe so 'vatiṣṭhatām | dīrgha-bāhur mahā-vakṣāḥ yasyāryo 'numate gataḥ ||

Translation

May the man by whose consent my noble brother—long-armed and broad-chested—went into exile abandon service to his mother and remain fixed in futile, purposeless pursuits.

Context

The one who counselled the exile of my noble, long-armed and broad-chested brother be banished like the one who commited the sin of leaving the ministration to his mother and engaging himself in purposeless acts!

Characters & Entities

• Rama (āryaḥ; dīrgha-bāhuḥ; mahā-vakṣāḥ)
• Mother (mātṛ, generic)
• Bharata (speaker, implied)

FAQs

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

Dharma is portrayed as purposeful duty, especially service to parents; abandoning such service for ‘anartha’ marks ethical collapse.

What is the narrative situation?

Bharata continues his denunciation, contrasting Rama’s noble qualities with the supposed moral baseness of the exile’s enabler.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Valuing purposeful duty over empty activity—Bharata’s ethic rejects ‘busy’ life without righteousness.