Valmiki Ramayana 2.113.5: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 113, Shloka 5
पादुकाप्रदानं भरतस्य निवृत्तिश्च
The Sandals Bestowed; Bharata’s Return Toward Ayodhya
Setting: Near Citrakūṭa, at sight of Bharadvāja’s āśramaPlaces named: CitrakūṭaArrival at a key spiritual waypoint before meeting Rāma
अदूराच्चित्रकूटस्य ददर्श भरतस्तदा ।
आश्रमं यत्र स मुनिर्भरद्वाजः कृतालयः ॥५॥
adūrāc citrakūṭasya dadarśa bharatas tadā |
āśramaṃ yatra sa munir bharadvājaḥ kṛtālayaḥ ||5||
चित्रकूट से ज़्यादा दूर नहीं था। भरत ने वहाँ एक आश्रम देखा। वहाँ रिशि भरद्वाज रहते थे। उनका यही घर था।
Sandhi Notes
- अदूराच् + चित्रकूटस्य → अदूराच्चित्रकूटस्य
- मुनिः + भरद्वाजः → मुनिर्भरद्वाजः
- कृत + आलयः → कृतालयः (समास)
Not far from Chitrakuta mountain, Bharata beheld a hermitage where sage Bharadwaja resided.
The teaching
Before decisive worldly action, one should seek the proximity of the wise and the sanctifying atmosphere of tapas.
- Ethical theme
- Seeking counsel/guru-upāsanā
For your practice
Pilgrimage of intention: approaching a place/person of wisdom as a practice of inner alignment.
Mood and themes
- Rasa
- Shanta (peace), with Adbhuta (wonder)
- Mood
- Anticipatory, quiet, sacred
Themes
- Dharma
- Maryada
- Sage-tradition
- Itihasa
- Ethics
Approaching the locus of śravaṇa/manana: the hermitage as a space where knowledge tempers action.
The ‘approach the teacher’ paradigm (ācāryopāsana) implicit in moving toward the muni’s dwelling.
- Bharata and Bharadvaja
- Seeker approaching revered sage (reverent)
- Bharadvaja and Citrakuta
- Sage dwelling near sacred mountain (peaceful)
Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.91-2.92 (Bharadvāja’s āśrama episode earlier in Bharata’s journey context); Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.113.23 (Bharata’s reverence at the āśrama)
Smṛti ideal of kings honoring ṛṣis and āśramas
Ayodhyākāṇḍa: Bharadvāja as pivotal sage-host and guide for travelers in the forest route
Anuṣṭup (śloka)
Narrative
Soft cadence, slight pause after adūrāt to mark the moment of sighting
FAQs
Seeking guidance from the spiritually grounded is a dharmic act: royal decisions and journeys are oriented by proximity to sages and āśramas (centers of truth and restraint).
Bharata nears Citrakūṭa and comes upon Bharadvāja’s hermitage.
Humility before wisdom—recognizing the authority of sages in moral and political uncertainty.
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