Shloka 2.76.18
दशरथस्य अन्त्येष्टि-विधानम् — Dasaratha’s Funeral Rites and Ayodhya’s Mourning
तदा हुताशनं हुत्वा जेपुस्तस्य तदृत्विजः।जगुश्च ते यथाशास्त्र तत्र सामानि सामगाः।।2.76.18।।
kiṃ te vyavasitaṃ rājan proṣite mayy anāgate |
ivā́sya rāmaṃ dharmajñaṃ lakṣmaṇaṃ ca mahābalam ||
O king, what resolve did you make while I was away and before I could return—banishing Rāma, knower of dharma, and also mighty Lakṣmaṇa?
Then the priests offering oblations to the king's fire, intoned prayers. The reciters of Sama Veda sang the hymns in accordance with the sacred scriptures.
Dharma as responsible kingship and truthful governance: Bharata’s protest frames exile as a moral shock—especially when it targets the dharma-knowing heir.
Bharata returns and reacts to the revelation that Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa have been exiled during his absence.
Bharata’s integrity and loyalty to dharma—he refuses to accept advantage gained through unrighteous decisions.