Valmiki Ramayana 2.71.36: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 71, Shloka 36
भरतस्य अयोध्याप्रत्यागमनम् · Bharata’s Return Journey and the Distant Sight of Ayodhya
Spoken by Bharata to AswapatiSetting: Ayodhya (vicinity of palace approach implied)Approach to the royal quarters; recognition of omens
श्रुता नो यादृशाः पूर्वं नृपतीनां विनाशने ॥३६॥
आकारांस्तानहं सर्वानिहपश्यामि सारथे ।
śrutā no yādṛśāḥ pūrvaṃ nṛpatīnāṃ vināśane ||36||
ākārāṃs tān ahaṃ sarvān iha paśyāmi sārathe |
Wahai sais, kini di sini aku melihat segala tanda itu—tanda-tanda yang dahulu pernah kita dengar sebagai alamat menjelang wafatnya seorang raja.
Sandhi Notes
- आकारांस्तानहं = आकारान् + तान् + अहम्
- सर्वानिहपश्यामि = सर्वान् + इह + पश्यामि।
O charioteer! I now see the very for ebodings I had heard in the past in connection with the death of kings.
The teaching
Awareness of death’s signs should not paralyze; it should awaken responsibility and compassion in equal measure.
Duties in tension
- Filial grief vs immediate political responsibility
- Respect for royal mourning protocol vs urgency to stabilize the realm
- Personal loyalty to Rāma vs impending pressure of succession
- Ethical theme
- Rāja-dharma / mṛtyu-bodha (ethical awakening through mortality)
For your practice
Contemplation of mortality (maraṇānusmṛti) to deepen vairāgya and steadiness; act rightly when impermanence becomes visible.
Mood and themes
- Rasa
- Bhayanaka (fear), with Karuna (compassion)
- Mood
- Foreboding, grave, portentous
Themes
- Itihasa
- Dharma
- Omen
- Kingship
Kingship and life are impermanent; recognition of omens mirrors the awakening to anitya that turns the mind toward steadier truth beyond status.
Katha Upanishad’s mṛtyu-saṃvāda theme resonates: awareness of death as the great teacher that strips worldly certainty.
- Bharata and King
- Son sensing father’s death (dreadful-compassionate)
Ayodhyākāṇḍa 2.64-65 (inauspicious signs around the palace); Ayodhyākāṇḍa 2.72-73 (confirmation of Daśaratha’s death and ensuing grief)
Purāṇic and Itihāsa motifs of rāja-maraṇa-nimitta (omens before a king’s death)
Ayodhyākāṇḍa 2.71.35 (Bharata’s aśubha-śaṅkā)
Anuṣṭup
Solemn
Mandra (low register)
FAQs
The verse underscores the dharmic gravity of kingship: the king’s fate is tied to public order, and signs of disruption are taken as warnings demanding responsible response.
Bharata interprets the unsettling atmosphere as traditional portents associated with royal death.
Prudence and discernment—he reads events carefully and anticipates consequences.
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