Shloka 2.88.4
रामशय्यादर्शनम् — Bharata Beholds Rama’s Forest Bed
अजिनोत्तरसंस्तीर्णे वरास्तरणसंचये।शयित्वा पुरुषव्याघ्रः कथं शेते महीतले।।।।
prāsādāgravimāneṣu valabhīṣu ca sarvadā |
haimarājatabhaumeṣu varāstaraṇaśāliṣu ||
puṣpasañcayacitreṣu candanāgarugandhiṣu |
pāṇḍurābhraprakāśeṣu śukasaṅgharuteṣu ca ||
prāsādavaravaryeṣu śītavatsu sugandhiṣu |
uṣitvā merukalpeṣu kṛtakāñcanabhittiṣu ||
gītavāditranirghoṣair varābharaṇanissvanaiḥ |
mṛdaṅgavaraśabdaiś ca satataṃ pratibodhitaḥ ||
vandibhir vanditaḥ kāle bahubhiḥ sūtamāgadhaiḥ |
gāthābhir anurūpābhiḥ stutibhiś ca parantapaḥ ||
Rāma, the subduer of enemies, had ever dwelt in the lofts and upper chambers of splendid palaces: on floors inlaid with gold and silver, spread with the finest coverings, adorned with heaps of flowers, and fragrant with sandal and agaru. Those palace-heights shone like pale white clouds and rang with the cries of flocks of parrots; they were cool and sweet-smelling, with walls gilded like gold, and a grandeur comparable to Mount Meru. There he was constantly awakened by song and instruments, by the gentle chime of ornaments, and by the noble beat of drums; and at the proper hour many bards, genealogists, and panegyrists would salute him with fitting hymns and praises.
How could Rama, the best among men used to a bed made of a pile of excellent spreads and overspread with deer skin, sleep on the bare ground?
The verse underscores the moral contrast between rightful royal dignity and forced deprivation. Dharma is framed as the proper order of life: when a righteous person is displaced from his rightful station, society experiences ethical rupture.
Bharata recalls Rama’s former life of royal refinement to heighten the tragedy of Rama’s exile and to underline how unnatural and unjust the reversal feels.
Rama’s worthiness (arhatā) by implication—he was honored by the best of courtly culture—alongside Bharata’s deep remorse and sense of responsibility.