Valmiki Ramayana 2.73.25: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 73, Shloka 25

भरतस्य कैकेय्याः प्रति धिक्कारः · Bharata’s Rebuke of Kaikeyi and Affirmation of Ikshvaku Royal Dharma

Spoken by Bharata to KaikeyiSetting: Ayodhyā (royal precincts)

Devanagari script

न तु कामं करिष्यामि तवाऽहं पापनिश्चये ।

त्वया व्यसनमारब्धं जीवितान्तकरं मम ॥२५॥

Recitation with translationValmiki Ramayana 2.73.25

Transliteration

na tu kāmaṃ kariṣyāmi tavāhaṃ pāpaniścaye |

tvayā vyasanam ārabdhaṃ jīvitāntakaraṃ mama ||25||

Translation

പാപനിശ്ചയമുള്ള സ്ത്രീയേ! നിന്റെ ആഗ്രഹം ഞാൻ ഒരിക്കലും നിറവേറ്റുകയില്ല. നിന്മൂലം എന്റെ ജീവൻ തന്നെ അവസാനിപ്പിക്കുന്ന മഹാവിപത്ത് ആരംഭിച്ചിരിക്കുന്നു.

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Word by Word

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)
• Role: Nishedha (निषेध)

• तु: but
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), विरोध/पक्षान्तरे (but/indeed)
• Role: Sambandha-bodhaka (निपात)

• कामम्: desire/wish
• Type: Noun
• Root: काम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-एकवचन (Acc Sg)
• Role: Karma (कर्म)

• करिष्यामि: I will do/fulfil
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), उत्तम-पुरुष (1st person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद
• Role: Kriya (क्रिया)

• तव: your
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-एकवचन (Gen Sg)
• Role: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)

• अहम्: I
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा-एकवचन (Nom Sg)
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)

• पाप-निश्चये: O (woman) of sinful resolve
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक) + निश्चय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-एकवचन (Voc Sg); समासः: पापः निश्चयः यस्याः (O woman of sinful resolve)
• Role: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Compound: Tatpurusha

• त्वया: by you
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया-एकवचन (Instrumental Sg)
• Role: Karana (करण)

• व्यसनम्: calamity/distressful act
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्यसन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-एकवचन (Nom/Acc Sg)
• Role: Karma (कर्म)

• आरब्धम्: begun/undertaken
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आ-रभ् (धातु) → आरब्ध (कृदन्त)
• Form: कर्मणि क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (Past Passive Participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-एकवचन; (that has been) begun
• Role: Visheshana (विशेषण)

• जीवित-अन्त-करम्: life-ending
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जीवित (प्रातिपदिक) + अन्त (प्रातिपदिक) + कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-एकवचन; विशेषण (व्यसनम्); समासः: जीवितस्य अन्तं करोति (bringing life to an end)
• Role: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Compound: Tatpurusha

• मम: my
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-एकवचन (Gen Sg)
• Role: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)

Sandhi Notes

• तवाऽहम् = तव + अहम्
• व्यसनमारब्धम् = व्यसनम् + आरब्धम्

Context

O woman of sinful disposition!, I on my part will not fulfil your cherished desire. Youhave started a distressing deed to bring an end to my existence.

The teaching

Do not fulfill a desire rooted in pāpa; complicity in wrongdoing makes one a co-author of calamity.

Duties in tension

• Familial deference to stepmother vs refusal to participate in adharma
• Political expediency vs loyalty to righteous kingship

Ethical theme

Rājadharma / kuladharma

How it resolves

Rejection of adharma; commitment to restore dharmic order

For your practice

Vairāgya toward coercive desire; cultivating moral courage to say ‘no’ to adharma even within family.

Mood and themes

Rasa

Raudra (fury), with Karuna (compassion)

Mood

Indignant, unyielding, accusatory

Themes

• Dharma
• Ethics
• Resistance to adharma
• Satya (truthful refusal)
• Personal integrity

Symbolism

Relationships

Cross references

Meter and recitation

Characters & Entities

• Bharata
• Kaikeyī

FAQs

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

Dharma may require refusing even a powerful elder’s demand when it is rooted in adharma; truthfulness includes a firm moral ‘no’.

What is the narrative situation?

Bharata rejects Kaikeyī’s attempt to secure the kingdom through wrongdoing and describes the situation as personally devastating.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Moral courage and steadfastness against unjust gain.