Shloka 5.55.19
लङ्कादाहानन्तरचिन्ता — Hanuman’s Post-Conflagration Self-Examination and Assurance of Sita’s Safety
इक्ष्वाकुवंशे धर्मिष्ठे गते नाशमसंशयम्।भविष्यन्ति प्रजास्सर्वाश्शोकसन्तापपीडिताः।।।।
etad eva vacaḥ śrutvā bharato bhrātṛ-vatsalaḥ | dharmātmā saha-śatrughnaḥ kathaṁ śakṣyati jīvitum ||
Hearing only this news, how could Bharata—devoted to his brothers, righteous in soul—survive, even together with Śatrughna?
'When the righteous Ikshvaku race perishes the people would be tormented by grief and remorse. There is no doubt.
Dharma is relational: righteousness is sustained through loyalty and love within family. Hanumān recognizes the moral and emotional bonds that make such loss unbearable.
Hanumān extends his fear beyond the battlefield—imagining how the tragedy would devastate Bharata and Śatrughna if they learned Sītā had been lost.
Bharata’s brotherly devotion (bhrātṛ-vātsalya) and dharmic character are highlighted as defining traits.