Valmiki Ramayana 2.75.65: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 75, Shloka 65
अयोध्याकाण्डे पञ्चसप्ततितमः सर्गः
Sarga 75: Bharata and Kausalya · Reproach, Oaths, and Reconciliation
लालप्यमानस्य विचेतनस्य प्रणष्टबुद्धेः पतितस्य भूमौ ।
मुहुर्मुहुर्निश्श्वसतश्च घर्मं सा तस्य शोकेन जगाम रात्रिः ॥६५॥
lālapyamānasya vicetanasya praṇaṣṭabuddheḥ patitasya bhūmau |
muhur muhur niśśvasataś ca gharmaṃ sā tasya śokena jagāma rātriḥ ||65||
भरत ज़मीन पर गिर गया था, उसकी समझ चली गयी थी। वो बार-बार रो रहा था और गहरी सांसें ले रहा था। उस रात भर उसके ग़म में गुज़री।
Sandhi Notes
- प्रणष्टबुद्धे: → प्रणष्टबुद्धेः
- मुहुर्मुहुः → मुहुः मुहुः
- निःश्वसतश्च → निःश्वसतः च
That night passed off in grief for Bharata, who fell on the ground with his mind clouded and his senses lost. He lamented again and again, heaving deep, warm sighs.ityārṣē śrīmadrāmāyaṇē vālmīkīya ādikāvyē ayōdhyākāṇḍē pañcasaptatitamassargaḥ৷৷Thus ends the seventyfifth sarga in Ayodhyakanda of the holy Ramayana, the first epic composed by sage Valmiki.
The teaching
Unchecked grief can eclipse buddhi and bodily control; dharma requires regaining awareness to act rightly.
Duties in tension
- Mourning and emotional collapse vs. immediate royal responsibilities
- Personal attachment vs. steadiness required for rites and governance
- Ethical theme
- Rājadharma / śaucadharma (conduct in bereavement)
For your practice
Contemplation on anityatā and regulation of prāṇa under sorrow (gentle japa/breath steadiness).
Mood and themes
- Rasa
- Karuna (compassion), with Bhayanaka (fear)
- Mood
- Fainting, breath-heavy, night-long grief
Themes
- Dharma
- Grief
- Night vigil
- Human suffering in Itihasa
Śoka as tamas-pradhāna vṛtti: buddhi becomes 'pranaṣṭabuddhi' (as if lost), and the self-identification with loss intensifies duḥkha.
Bṛhadāraṇyaka/Chāndogya themes: grief arises from duality and attachment; night imagery aligns with avidyā's darkness.
Rātri
- Bharata and Dasharatha
- Son mourning father through the night (Karuśā (sorrow))
- Bharata and Night
- Time as witness/vehicle of grief (Karuśā (sorrow))
Rāmacaritamānasa Ayodhyākāṇḍa: Bharataḥ mūrcchā and night-long lament; Mahābhārata: laments over Bhīṣma/Droṇa where nights pass in śoka
Vedic imagery of rātri as enveloping darkness (tamas)
Ayodhyākāṇḍa: sequences describing Bharata's collapse and attendants' concern around 2.75-2.76
Anuṣṭup (śloka)
Grieving
Slow, descending phrases; emphasis on niṣśvāsa/gharma with elongated mātrās
FAQs
The verse underscores that dharma is lived by embodied persons: intense sorrow can overwhelm cognition, and the narrative invites compassionate care as part of righteous response to suffering.
Bharata remains collapsed and inconsolable through the night, repeatedly sighing and lamenting as grief persists.
Bharata’s sincerity of feeling and moral sensitivity—his grief reflects deep loyalty and conscience, even though it incapacitates him.
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