Valmiki Ramayana 2.69.9: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 69, Shloka 9

भरतस्य दुःस्वप्नदर्शनम्

Bharata’s Ominous Dream

Devanagari script

प्लवमानश्च मे दृष्टस्स तस्मिन्गोमयह्रदे।पिबन्नञ्जलिना तैलं हसन्नपि मुहुर्मुहुः।।।।

Sanskrit recitationValmiki Ramayana 2.69.9

Transliteration

plavamānaś ca me dṛṣṭaḥ sa tasmin gomaya-hrade |

pibann añjalinā tailaṃ hasann api muhur muhuḥ ||

Translation

Aku melihat beliau terapung di kubangan tahi sapi itu; dengan kedua telapak tangan yang ditekup ia meminum minyak, sambil tertawa berulang-ulang.

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Word by Word

• plavamānaḥ: floating
• plavamānaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: plu (धातु)
• Form: शानच्-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमान कृदन्त (Present middle participle/Ātmanepada): ‘प्लवमान’; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (of ‘saḥ’)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• me: by me / my
• me: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम (Pronoun), षष्ठी विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन; ‘मे’ = my/by me (contextually agent with passive)

• dṛṣṭaḥ: was seen
• dṛṣṭaḥ: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (Past passive participle): ‘दृष्ट’; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगे (passive sense)

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम (Pronoun), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• tasmin: in that
• tasmin: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (Locative/7th), एकवचन

• gomaya-hrade: in the cow-dung pool
• gomaya-hrade: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gomaya (प्रातिपदिक) + hrada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास; पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• piban: drinking
• piban: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pā (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमान कृदन्त (Present active participle): ‘पिबन्’; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (of ‘saḥ’)

• añjalinā: with cupped hands
• añjalinā: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: añjali (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन

• tailam: oil
• tailam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: taila (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• hasan: laughing
• hasan: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: has (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमान कृदन्त: ‘हसन्’; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (of ‘saḥ’)

• api: also
• api: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle); अपि = also/even

• muhur: again and again
• muhur: Kriya-viseshana (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: muhur (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

• muhuḥ: repeatedly
• muhuḥ: Kriya-viseshana (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: muhuḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय; पुनरुक्ति (reduplication) for emphasis

Context

In my dream I saw my father looking pale, with dishevelled hair, his body filled with filth falling from the peak of a mountain into a pool of cow - dung.

Characters & Entities

• Bharata
• Dasharatha (implied as ‘he’)

FAQs

What is the core ethical principle (Dharma) in this verse?

Dharma is the duty to respond to signs of disorder with seriousness: the dream imagery signals inversion and impurity, prompting a righteous person to seek the truth and protect family and state.

What is the narrative situation?

Bharata continues detailing the dream’s disturbing images—his father floating in filth, behaving strangely—deepening the sense of impending misfortune.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Grave discernment and concern—Bharata does not dismiss troubling signs but treats them as morally significant.