Shloka 2.85.17
भरत-गुहसंवादः (Bharata and Guha: Trust, Hospitality, and the Burden of Grief)
अन्तर्दाहेन दहनस्सन्तापयति राघवम्।वनदाहाभिसन्तप्तं गूढोऽग्निरिव पादपम्।।2.85.17।।
rāmacintāmayaḥ śoko bharatasya mahātmanaḥ |
upasthito hy anarhasya dharmaprekṣasya tādṛśaḥ ||2.85.16||
Yet grief—filled with thoughts of Rama—came upon the great-souled Bharata, though such sorrow did not befit him, a man who looks to dharma.
Just like a concealed forest-fire scorching the dried up forest, the fire of sorrow kindled in his mind scorched Bharata.
Even the righteous suffer when dharma is disrupted; the verse highlights moral sensitivity—Bharata’s grief arises from concern for Rama and the right order.
After resting, Bharata is overtaken by sorrow as his mind dwells on Rama’s hardship in exile.
Bharata’s dharmic conscience (dharma-prekṣā): he feels pain not for loss of power but for Rama’s suffering and injustice.