Valmiki Ramayana 2.69.15 — Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 69, Shloka 15
भरतस्य दुःस्वप्नदर्शनम्
Bharata’s Ominous Dream
त्वरमाणश्च धर्मात्मा रक्तमाल्यानुलेपनः।रथेन खरयुक्तेन प्रयातो दक्षिणामुखः।।।।
tvaramāṇaś ca dharmātmā raktamālyānulepanaḥ | rathena kharayuktena prayāto dakṣiṇāmukhaḥ ||
ധർമ്മാത്മനായ രാജാവ് അതിവേഗം പുറപ്പെടുന്നതായി ഞാൻ കണ്ടു—ചുവന്ന മാലയും ചുവന്ന ലേപനവും ധരിച്ച്—കഴുതകൾ കെട്ടിയ രഥത്തിൽ ദക്ഷിണദിശയിലേക്കു പോകുന്നു; യമലോകത്തിലേക്കു നീങ്ങുന്നതുപോലെ.
Thereafter, I beheld that virtuous monarch bedecked with garlands made of red flowers and his body bedaubed with red sandal-paste, hurrying off southward on a chariot yoked with asses.
FAQs
Even a ‘dharmātmā’ is subject to mortality; dharma here is the duty of clear-eyed acceptance and timely action—responding truthfully to warning signs, protecting dependents, and placing righteousness above personal comfort.
Bharata’s dream presents the king moving southward on an inauspicious vehicle, a conventional sign of death, intensifying Bharata’s urgency and dread.
Bharata’s loyalty and filial concern: the dream’s focus on the king’s fate shows Bharata’s deep attachment and sense of duty toward his father and the realm.
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