Valmiki Ramayana 2.77.14: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 77, Shloka 14
और्ध्वदैहिकक्रिया-शोकविलापः
Obsequies for Daśaratha and the Brothers’ Lament
Spoken by Śatrughna to King DaśarathaSetting: अयोध्या (palace mourning space, implied)
सुकुमारं च बालं च सततं लालितं त्वया ॥१४॥
क्व तात भरतं हित्वा विलपन्तं गतो भवान् ।
sukumāraṃ ca bālaṃ ca satataṃ lālitaṃ tvayā ||14||
kva tāta bharataṃ hitvā vilapantaṃ gato bhavān |
भरत इतना छोटा था, इतना नाज़ुक था। आपने उसे हमेशा प्यार से रखा था। अब वो रो रहा है और आप कहाँ चले गए हैं?
Sandhi Notes
- pāda break ignored
Where have you gone dear father, leaving the lamenting Bharata, so young and tender, who was always your darling?
The teaching
When the protector is gone, dharma shifts: brothers must become each other’s refuge, sustaining the vulnerable through compassion and duty.
Duties in tension
- पालन-कर्तव्य (father’s protective role, now absent)
- भ्रातृधर्म (brothers’ duty to support Bharata)
- Ethical theme
- Family duty and guardianship
- How it resolves
- Transfer of responsibility to surviving kin
For your practice
Cultivates karuṇā and seva toward the grieving; contemplation on shifting roles and responsibilities after loss.
Mood and themes
- Rasa
- Karuna (compassion), with Shringara (love)
- Mood
- Tender, abandoned, pleading
Themes
- Dharma
- Satya
- Filial love
- Family duty
- Itihasa
- Ethics
The sense of abandonment points to reliance on impermanent supports; invites turning from worldly refuge to inner steadiness (ātma-śaraṇatā).
The search ‘where have you gone?’ resonates with the existential inquiry into what truly persists beyond death.
Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.77.15 (continuing address about the father’s care); Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.64-2.65 (direct laments addressing the departed king)
Rāmacaritamānasa: Ayodhyā-kāṇḍa lament traditions (vilāpa for Daśaratha)
Ayodhyākāṇḍa: earlier depictions of Daśaratha’s affection for Bharata and the princes
Anuṣṭup
Grieving
Soft, plaintive; descending phrases on ‘kva tāta’
FAQs
It reflects the dharmic bond of parent and child: the king’s nurturing care is remembered as a sacred responsibility, and the pain of its loss underscores the moral weight of family protection.
Śatrughna laments Daśaratha’s death, pointing to Bharata’s youth and helpless grief.
Daśaratha’s affectionate guardianship (parental care) is emphasized.
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