Ramayana — Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 74, Shloka 3
भरतस्य कैकेयी-गर्हा तथा सुरभि-दृष्टान्तः
Bharata’s Reproach of Kaikeyi and the Surabhi Exemplum
किन्नु तेऽदूषयद्राजा रामो वा भृशधार्मिकः।ययोर्मृत्युर्विवासश्च त्वत्कृते तुल्यमागतौ।।।।
kinnu te ’dūṣayad rājā rāmo vā bhṛśadhārmikaḥ |
yayor mṛtyur vivāsaś ca tvat-kṛte tulyam āgatau ||
王は、あるいは篤くダルマに帰依するラーマは、いったい汝に何の咎を犯したというのか。汝のために、一方には死が、他方には同じほどの災いである流罪が訪れたのだ。
This pious lady is blessed with only one son and (now) has been rendered childless by you. Therefore, you shall experience grief in this world and hereafter.
FAQs
The verse upholds the dharmic expectation that harm should not be inflicted on the innocent; Bharata frames Rama and Dasharatha as undeserving of suffering, condemning wrongdoing that targets the righteous.
After Dasharatha’s death and Rama’s exile, Bharata confronts Kaikeyi, attributing both calamities to her actions and questioning her grievance against them.
Bharata’s moral clarity and loyalty to dharma: he defends Rama’s righteousness and rejects unjust gain obtained through adharma.