Ramayana — Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 73, Shloka 7
भरतस्य कैकेय्याः प्रति धिक्कारः
Bharata’s Rebuke of Kaikeyi and Affirmation of Ikshvaku Royal Dharma
विनाशितो महाराजः पिता मे धर्मवत्सलः।कस्मात्प्रव्राजितो रामः कस्मादेव वनं गतः।।।।
vināśito mahārājaḥ pitā me dharmavatsalaḥ |
kasmāt pravrājito rāmaḥ kasmād eva vanaṃ gataḥ ||
Mengapa ayahku, maharaja yang mencintai dharma, dibinasakan? Karena sebab apa Rama diasingkan—mengapa pula ia pergi ke hutan?
Why was my father the righteous maharaja killed? Why was Rama exiled into the forest?
FAQs
The verse demands moral causality: dharmic order should not punish the righteous; Bharata’s questions expose the injustice of exile imposed on Rama.
In confrontation, Bharata interrogates the rationale behind Dasharatha’s collapse and Rama’s banishment.
Commitment to fairness and moral reasoning—Bharata refuses to accept events as ‘normal’ when they violate dharma.