Valmiki Ramayana 2.97.16: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 97, Shloka 16
भरतागमनशङ्कानिवारणम् / Dispelling Suspicion about Bharata’s Arrival
Chitrakuta Encampment
कथं नु पुत्राः पितरं हन्युः कस्यां चिदापदि ।
भ्राता वा भ्रातरं हन्यात्सौमित्रे प्राणमात्मनः ॥१६॥
kathaṃ nu putrāḥ pitaraṃ hanyuḥ kasyāṃ cid āpadi |
bhrātā vā bhrātaraṃ hanyāt saumitre prāṇam ātmanaḥ ||16||
En cualquier calamidad, oh Saumitri, ¿cómo podrían los hijos matar a su padre? ¿O cómo podría un hermano matar a su propio hermano, tan querido como su misma vida?
Whatever be the calamity, O Lakshmana, how will sons slay their father, or a brother kill his own brother who is as dear to him as his own life?
FAQs
Dharma upholds the sanctity of family bonds: patricide and fratricide are portrayed as almost unthinkable, even in crisis.
Rama argues against Lakshmana’s fear-driven assumptions, stressing that close kin do not turn murderous in righteous families.
Rama’s commitment to maryādā (moral boundaries) and faith in familial righteousness.
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