Shloka 2.85.18
भरत-गुहसंवादः (Bharata and Guha: Trust, Hospitality, and the Burden of Grief)
प्रसृतस्सर्वगात्रेभ्यस्स्वेदं शोकाग्निसम्भवम्।यथा सूर्यांशुसन्तप्तो हिमवान् प्रसृतोहिमम्।।2.85.18।।
antardāhena dahanas santāpayati rāghavam |
vanadāhābhisantaptaṁ gūḍho 'gnir iva pādapam ||2.85.17||
The fire of grief scorched Bharata from within—like a hidden flame burning a tree already seared by a forest-fire.
Like the ice melted by the heat of the Sun's rays flows down the Himalayas, sweat poured from all parts of his body caused by the fire of grief.
The verse shows the cost of dharma: a righteous person may endure intense inner suffering when confronted with wrongdoing or separation from the virtuous.
Bharata’s sorrow intensifies at night, portrayed as an inner fire consuming him.
Bharata’s empathy and moral seriousness—his pain reflects deep attachment to righteousness and to Rama.