Valmiki Ramayana 2.72.10: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 72, Shloka 10
भरतस्य मातृसदनगमनं कैकेय्या दारुणवृत्तान्तकथनं च
Bharata in Kaikeyi’s apartments: revelation of Daśaratha’s death and Rāma’s exile
Spoken by Bharata to KaikeyiSetting: Ayodhyā palace—Kaikeyī’s quarters (dialogue setting)
राजवाक्यहरैर्दूतैस्त्वर्यमाणोऽहमागतः ।
यदहं प्रष्टुमिच्छामि तदम्बा वक्तुमर्हति ॥१०॥
rājavākyaharair dūtaiḥ tvaryamāṇo 'ham āgataḥ |
yad ahaṃ praṣṭum icchāmi tad ambā vaktum arhati ||10||
राजा के आदमी भेजे थे जो कहते थे जल्दी आओ, इसलिए मैं जल्दी आया हूँ। मम्मी, मैं जो पूछना चाहता हूँ आप बताइए।
Sandhi Notes
- राजवाक्यहरैर्दूतैः = राजवाक्यहरैः + दूतैः (ः + द → र्द)
- त्वर्यमाणोऽहमागतः = त्वर्यमाणः + अहम् + आगतः (ः + अ → ओऽ)
- यदहं = यत् + अहम् (त् + अ → द)
- प्रष्टुमिच्छामि = प्रष्टुम् + इच्छामि (म् + इ → मि)
- तदम्बा = तत् + अम्बा (त् + अ → द)
- वक्तुमर्हति = वक्तुम् + अर्हति (म् + अ → मर्)
Urged upon by the messengers carrying out the orders of the king, I have come. You, O mother, should answer the questions. I wish to ask you.
The teaching
Even when authority compels haste, dharma requires questioning and सत्य-निष्ठा—demanding truthful account before aligning with outcomes.
Duties in tension
- Obedience to perceived royal command vs. moral scrutiny of the command’s origin and consequences
- Filial respect toward mother vs. duty to uphold righteousness and protect the kingdom/brother
- Ethical theme
- Rājadharma and satya-dharma (ethical governance and truth)
- How it resolves
- Truth-seeking inquiry preceding ethical action
For your practice
Cultivating satya and courage to ask hard questions without losing self-control.
Mood and themes
- Rasa
- Raudra (fury), with Karuna (compassion)
- Mood
- Pressing, accusatory, strained
Themes
- Dharma
- Satya
- Itihasa
- Ethics
- Royal duty
Speech (vāk) as a force shaping reality; inquiry as viveka (discrimination) before assent.
Vāk/śabda as potent principle; ethical insistence on truthfulness resonates with satya emphasis.
- Bharata and Kaikeyi
- Son questioning mother; moral confrontation implied (tense)
- Bharata and Dūtas
- Prince responding to royal summons conveyed by envoys (urgent)
- Bharata and Dasharatha
- Son obeying father’s command (as believed) (dutiful)
Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa, Ayodhyākāṇḍa: Bharata’s interrogation of Kaikeyī and revelation of events (sarga 72 context)
Dharma literature motif: the son questioning a parent when adharma is suspected (general)
Ayodhyākāṇḍa: Kaikeyī’s two boons; exile of Rāma; Daśaratha’s collapse (earlier narrative threads converging here)
Anuṣṭup (śloka)
Commanding
Sharper articulation; slight rise on ‘tvaryamāṇo’ and firm cadence on ‘vaktum arhati’
FAQs
Dharma as truthful inquiry and accountability: Bharata requests a clear answer in a situation involving royal orders and urgency.
Bharata has been summoned back by royal messengers and now questions Kaikeyī to understand what has occurred.
Straightforwardness and respect—he speaks firmly yet addresses her as 'mother' and seeks truth properly.
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