Valmiki Ramayana 2.90.11-13: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 90, Shlokas 11-13
भरद्वाजाश्रमगमनम्
Bharata at Bharadvāja’s Hermitage
Spoken by Bharata to KaikeyiSetting: Ayodhyā (speech context); Rāma’s location referenced as forest exilePlaces named: Ayodhyā, forest (vana)
सुषुवे यममित्रघ्नं कौसल्यानऽन्दवर्धनम् ।
भ्रात्रा सह सभार्यो यश्चिरं प्रव्राजितो वनम् ॥११॥
नियुक्तः स्त्रीनियुक्तेन पित्रा योऽसौ महायशाः ।
वनवासी भवेतीह समाः किल चतुर्दश ॥१२॥
कच्छिन्न तस्यापापस्य पापं कर्तुमिहेच्छसि ।
अकण्टकं भोक्तुमना राज्यं तस्यानुजस्य च ॥१३॥
suṣuve yamamitraghnaṃ kausalyānandavardhanam |
bhrātrā saha sabhāryo yaś ciraṃ pravrājito vanam ||11||
niyuktaḥ strīniyuktena pitrā yo'sau mahāyaśāḥ |
vanavāsī bhavetīha samāḥ kila caturdaśa ||12||
kacchin na tasyāpāpasya pāpaṃ kartum ihecchasi |
akaṇṭakaṃ bhoktumanā rājyaṃ tasyānujasya ca ||13||
कौसल्या का बेटा राम दुश्मनों को मारता है और उसकी माँ खुश रहती है। वो अपनी बीवी और भाई के साथ जंगल में भेज दिया गया है। उसके पिता ने कहा था कि वो चौदा साल तक जंगल में रहेगा। क्या तुम उस बड़े भाई के खिलाफ कुछ गलत करना चाहते हो? उसने कुछ बुरा नहीं किया था। सिर्फ राज्य पाने के लिए क्या तुम उसे मारोगे?
Sandhi Notes
- यममित्रघ्नम् → यम् + अमित्रघ्नम्
- कौसल्यानन्दवर्धनम् → कौसल्या + आनन्द + वर्धनम्
- यश्चिरम् → यः + चिरम्
Rama, destroyer of enemies and enhancer of the delight of his mother Kausalya, has been banished to the forest for a long time along with his wife and brother. That illustrious one has been ordered by his father to live in the forest for fourteen years through the pursuasion of a woman. To enjoy the kingdom without obstacles do you intend to cause any harm to that irreproachable Rama and his brother?
The teaching
Power gained by harming the righteous is pāpa; rightful order and compassion for the blameless must override ambition.
Duties in tension
- Obedience to father’s command (Rāma) vs injustice of command’s origin (Kaikeyi’s prompting)
- Bharata’s duty to accept kingship vs duty to uphold rightful succession and dharma
- Filial loyalty to mother vs condemnation of her adharma
- Ethical theme
- Succession ethics / adharma-nivṛtti
- How it resolves
- Moral refusal of tainted power; restoration-seeking
For your practice
Strengthens vairāgya toward unjust gain and devotion to righteousness embodied in Rāma; useful for reflection on integrity.
Mood and themes
- Rasa
- Karuna (compassion), with Raudra (fury)
- Mood
- Grieving, indignant, accusatory
Themes
- Dharma
- Satya
- Maryada
- Ethics
Desire for 'akaṇṭaka' enjoyment mirrors rāga; the dhārmika renouncer (Rāma) embodies niṣkāma orientation.
Echo of the ethical primacy of satya/dharma over possession (īśāvāsya sensibility: do not covet what belongs to another).
- Rama and Kausalya
- Son as mother’s joy (tender-pride (remembered))
- Rama and Enemies
- Protector/vanquisher (heroic)
- Rama and Sita
- Husband-wife companionship in exile (steadfast)
- Rama and Lakṣmaṇa
- Elder-younger brother solidarity (loyal)
- Dasharatha and Rama
- Father commanding son (tragic-duty)
- Kaikeyi and Dasharatha
- Queen influencing king (boon leverage) (coercive)
- Kaikeyi and Rama
- Instigator of exile (hostile)
- Bharata and Rama
- Younger brother defending elder’s rights (protective)
- Bharata and Lakṣmaṇa
- Brother-in-law/brotherly concern (implied) (protective)
- Bharata and Kaikeyi
- Son condemning mother’s adharma (indignant)
Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.18-2.20 (Daśaratha bound by boons; Kaikeyi’s demand); Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.47-2.50 (Rāma accepts exile with Sītā and Lakṣmaṇa); Rāmacaritamānasa Ayodhyākāṇḍa (Bharata’s denunciation of Kaikeyi; refusal of kingdom)
Mahābhārata: themes of unjust kingship and fraternal right (e.g., Pāṇḍava exile motifs)
Ayodhyākāṇḍa: Bharata’s consistent stance—kingdom without Rāma is tainted; Kaikeyi’s agency foregrounded
Anuṣṭup (śloka)
Grieving
Lower register (mandra) for exile lines, rising to sharp emphasis on "पापं"
FAQs
It presents Rama as “apāpa” (sinless) and emphasizes that his forest-dwelling is a command accepted under the father’s order, highlighting satya (truthfulness to a vow/word) and dharma (right conduct) even when the command arises from morally compromised pressure.
It suggests an unethical desire to enjoy rule “without obstacles,” implying that seeking power by harming the blameless (Rama and Lakshmana) is adharma and a direct violation of satya and familial righteousness.
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