Ramayana — Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 75, Shloka 23
अयोध्याकाण्डे पञ्चसप्ततितमः सर्गः
Sarga 75: Bharata and Kausalya—Reproach, Oaths, and Reconciliation
कारयित्वा महत्कर्म भर्ता भृत्यमनर्थकम्।अधर्मो योऽस्य सोऽस्यास्तु यस्याऽर्योऽनुमतेगतः।।।।
kārayitvā mahat karma bhartā bhṛtyam anarthakam |
adharmo yo 'sya sa 'syāstu yasyāryo 'numate gataḥ ||
Semoga cela adharma menimpa orang yang dengan nasihatnya kakakku yang mulia disingkirkan—seperti tuan yang menyuruh pelayan melakukan pekerjaan berat namun tanpa balasan yang patut.
May the one who counselled the exile of my esteemed brother acquire the demerit of unrighteousness in the same way as a master who gets a difficult work done by a servant without remuneration.
FAQs
Exploitation is adharma: compelling another to bear hardship without rightful compensation parallels the moral wrong of unjustly sending away a righteous person.
Bharata, shocked by Rāma’s exile, condemns the counsel that led to it and frames it as a moral transgression through vivid analogies.
Bharata’s integrity and devotion to dharma—he refuses to benefit from injustice and openly denounces unrighteous means.