Shloka 2.76.21
दशरथस्य अन्त्येष्टि-विधानम् — Dasaratha’s Funeral Rites and Ayodhya’s Mourning
क्रौञ्चीनामिव नारीणां निनादस्तत्र शुश्रुवे।आर्तानां करुणं काले क्रोशन्तीनां सहस्रशः।।2.76.21।।
kiṃ te vyavasitaṃ rājan proṣite mayy anāgate |
vivāsya rāmaṃ dharmajñaṃ lakṣmaṇaṃ ca mahābalam || 2.76.6 ||
O King, what resolve did you take while I was away and before I had returned—that you banished righteous Rāma, knower of dharma, and Lakṣmaṇa too, the mighty one?
At that time, piteous cries of distressed women in their thousands like the piercing cries of female kraunchas (birds) were heard.
The verse questions a decision that appears to violate dharma: the banishment of a righteous heir. It highlights the moral burden leaders bear when their choices cause suffering to the virtuous.
During the funeral context, Bharata laments over Daśaratha’s death and confronts (in grief) the fact that Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa were exiled while he was absent.
Moral clarity and loyalty—Bharata instinctively defends Rāma’s righteousness and is pained by injustice done to him.