Shloka 2.78.22
अष्टसप्ततितमः सर्गः — Śatrughna’s Fury and Bharata’s Restraint (Mantharā Episode)
हन्यामहमिमां पापां कैकेयीं दुष्टचारिणीम्।यदि मां धार्मिको रामो नासूयेन्मातृघातकम्।।।।
tair vākyaiḥ paruṣair duḥkhaiḥ kaikeyī bhṛśaduḥkhitā |
śatrughnabhayasantrastā putraṁ śaraṇam āgatā ||
Wounded by those harsh and painful words, Kaikeyī became deeply distressed; frightened of Śatrughna, she went to her son as a refuge.
If righteous Rama were not to accuse me of slaying a mother, I would have killed the sinful Kaikeyi of wicked deeds myself.
Actions that violate dharma generate fear and social rupture; refuge is sought not through power but through relationships, revealing the moral cost of harmful choices.
After bitter reproaches, Kaikeyī fears retaliation from Śatrughna and turns to Bharata for protection.
Bharata’s implied role as protector and stabilizer of the household—someone to whom even the guilty appeal for safety.