Valmiki Ramayana 2.74.25: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 74, Shloka 25
भरतस्य कैकेयी-गर्हा तथा सुरभि-दृष्टान्तः
Bharata’s Reproach of Kaikeyi and the Surabhi Exemplum
Spoken by Surabhi to Indra
ममकायात्प्रसूतौ हि दुःखितौ भारपीडितौ ।
यौ दृष्ट्वा परितप्येऽहं नास्ति पुत्रसमः प्रियः ॥२५॥
mama kāyāt prasūtau hi duḥkhitau bhārapīḍitau |
yau dṛṣṭvā paritapye ’haṁ nāsti putrasamaḥ priyaḥ ||25||
वो मेरे ही शरीर से पैदा हुए हैं। अब वो इतने दुखी हैं और बोझ के नीचे दब गए हैं। उन्हें देख के मैं जल रही हूँ। बेटा सबसे प्यारा होता है, इससे बड़ा कुछ नहीं।
Sandhi Notes
- mamakāyātprasūtau→mama+kāyāt+prasūtau
- paritapye'haṃ→paritapye+aham
- nāsti→na+asti
'These bulls were born from my body and they are oppressed by the burden. Having seen their anguish, I am extremely grieved. There is none so dear as a son'.
The teaching
Love creates responsibility: the closer the bond, the sharper the duty to protect and relieve suffering.
- Ethical theme
- Gṛhastha-dharma analogue (care for dependents); dayā
For your practice
Reflection on attachment and compassion: transform natural affection into active protection and non-cruelty; cultivate empathy for all ‘dependents’.
Mood and themes
- Rasa
- Karuna (compassion), with Shanta (peace)
- Mood
- Maternal, piercing, burdened
Themes
- Dharma
- Parental duty
- Compassion
- Ethics
- Satya
The verse highlights deha-abhimāna (body-identification) and its inevitable sorrow; yet also points to dharma of care—love as a force that compels protection.
Implicit contrast with Upaniṣadic move from putra/wealth to ātman as ultimate dear (e.g., Bṛhadāraṇyaka ‘ātmanas tu kāmāya…’), here showing the worldly truth of putra-priyatā.
- Surabhi and Indra
- Confessional lament before authority (imploring)
Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad 2.4 (thematic contrast: what is truly dear)
Common Sanskrit maxim-like sentiment: ‘no one dear like a son’ (putra-prīti)
Rāmāyaṇa’s recurring parental grief: Daśaratha for Rāma; later laments for sons across kāṇḍas (thematic)
Anuṣṭup (śloka)
Grieving
Slow tempo; emphasize ‘nāsti putra-samaḥ priyaḥ’ with cadential finality
FAQs
Dharma recognizes the sanctity of familial bonds and the duty of care; the suffering of one’s dependents becomes a moral claim upon the conscience.
Surabhi intensifies her explanation: the bulls are her own offspring, and their forced labor causes her acute grief.
Vātsalya (parental affection) as a virtue that motivates protection and compassion.
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