Valmiki Ramayana 2.74.28 — Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 74, Shloka 28
भरतस्य कैकेयी-गर्हा तथा सुरभि-दृष्टान्तः
Bharata’s Reproach of Kaikeyi and the Surabhi Exemplum
सदाऽप्रतिमवृत्तायाः लोकधारणकाम्यया।
श्रीमत्या गुणनित्याया स्स्वभावपरिचेष्टया।।2.74.27।।
यस्याः पुत्रसहस्राणि साऽपि शोचति कामधुक्।
किं पुनर्या विना रामं कौसल्या वर्तयिष्यति।।2.74.28।।
sadā ’pratimavṛttāyāḥ lokadhāraṇakāmyayā |
śrīmatyā guṇanityāyā svabhāvapariceṣṭayā ||
yasyāḥ putrasahasrāṇi sā ’pi śocati kāmadhuk |
kiṁ punar yā vinā rāmaṁ kausalyā vartayiṣyati ||
લોકધારણમાં સદા તત્પર અને અપ્રતિમ વૃત્તવાળી, સ્વભાવથી જ ગુણવતી અને શ્રીમતી—એવી કામધેનુ, હજારો પુત્રો હોવા છતાં શોક કરે છે; તો રામ વિના કૌસલ્યા વિશે શું કહીએ? તે કેવી રીતે પોતે પોતે રહી શકશે?
Wishing always to nourish the worlds Kamadhenu conducts herself with an unequalled character. In accordance with her nature, she has imbibed in herself eminent virtues. She is endowed with all prosperity. In spite of her thousand sons, she is weeping thus for her two bulls, what can one say of Kausalya separated from her only son Will she be her normal self again?'
FAQs
The repetition reinforces the ethical reading: the pain of separation from a righteous son is not weakness but a natural consequence of relational dharma.
A repeated/parallel transmission of the analogy between Surabhi’s grief and Kausalyā’s expected suffering without Rama.
The implied virtue is Rāma’s irreplaceability as a dharmic son, whose absence destabilizes the mother’s life and household order.
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