Valmiki Ramayana 2.82.19: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 82, Shloka 19
भरतस्य धर्मप्रतिज्ञा तथा रामनिवर्तनयात्रा
Bharata’s Vow of Dharma and the Expedition to Recall Rama
Spoken by BharataPreparatory resolve before setting out toward the forest
सर्वोपायं तु वर्तिष्ये विनिवर्तयितुं बलात् ।
समक्षमार्यमिश्राणां साधूनां गुणवर्तिनाम् ॥१९॥
sarvopāyaṃ tu vartiṣye vinivartayituṃ balāt |
samakṣam āryamiśrāṇāṃ sādhūnāṃ guṇavartinām ||19||
मैं हर तरह कोशिश करूँगा उन्हे वापस लाने की। ज़रूरत पड़े तो जबरदस्ती भी करूँगा। यह सब बड़े लोग देख रहे हैं जो अच्छे और ईमानदार हैं।
Sandhi Notes
- sarvopāyaṃ = sarva + upāyam
- samakṣam āryamiśrāṇām = samakṣam + āryamiśrāṇām.
I shall employ all possible means to bring him back and join you who are respectable, virtuous and pious.
The teaching
Even urgent righteous aims must be pursued under the scrutiny of the wise; means require accountability.
Duties in tension
- Respecting Rāma’s vow/obedience to father’s command
- Restoring rightful kingship and relieving Ayodhyā’s suffering
- Non-violence/consent vs coercion for a perceived higher dharma
- Ethical theme
- Rājadharma and sādhu-nīti
- How it resolves
- Appeal to collective moral authority (elders/sādhus) to justify strong measures
For your practice
Practice of saṅkalpa with accountability—before forceful action, place one’s intent before the wise (inner conscience/guru).
Mood and themes
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism), with Karuna (compassion)
- Mood
- Determined, pressing, duty-bound
Themes
- Dharma
- Rajadharma
- Ethics
- Duty
- Persuasion
Tension between intention (śuddha-saṅkalpa) and method (upāya) parallels karma-yoga’s insistence on purity of motive while acting in the world.
Emphasis on sādhus/guṇavartins as touchstone of right action resonates with the Upaniṣadic stress on approaching the wise (tad-vijñānārthaṃ sa gurum evābhigacchet).
- Bharata and Rama
- Younger brother determined to compel return if needed (urgent-devoted). Benevolent coercion—force contemplated for dharmic restoration (tense)
Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.82-2.83 (Bharata’s insistence and preparations to retrieve Rāma); Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.99-2.100 (dialogue at Chitrakūṭa where Rāma refuses to return)
Mahābhārata: debates on sāma-dāna-bheda-daṇḍa as political means (general parallel)
Ayodhyākāṇḍa: Bharata’s public rejection of the throne and appeal to elders for support
Anuṣṭup
Commanding
Tāra (high register)
FAQs
Dharma motivates determined corrective action: Bharata commits to exhausting all legitimate efforts to restore rightful order, under the scrutiny of the virtuous.
Bharata announces his plan to retrieve Rāma from exile, declaring resolve before respected elders and moral authorities.
Resolve and accountability: Bharata acts decisively while placing his intentions before the judgment of the righteous community.
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