Valmiki Ramayana 2.75.32: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 75, Shloka 32
अयोध्याकाण्डे पञ्चसप्ततितमः सर्गः
Sarga 75: Bharata and Kausalya · Reproach, Oaths, and Reconciliation
Spoken by Bharata to KausalyaSetting: Ayodhya palace (speech setting)Places named: Ayodhya
विश्वासात्कथितं किञ्चित्परिवादं मिथः क्वचित् ।
विवृणोतु स दुष्टात्मा यस्याऽर्योऽमते गतः ॥३२॥
viśvāsāt kathitaṃ kiñcit parivādaṃ mithaḥ kvacit |
vivṛṇotu sa duṣṭātmā yasyāryo ’numate gataḥ ||32||
Semoga si berhati jahat—yang dengan persetujuannya saudaraku yang mulia disingkirkan—menanggung dosa mengkhianati amanah: membocorkan, di suatu tempat dan kepada seseorang, sedikit fitnah yang pernah diucapkan secara rahsia dalam kepercayaan.
Sandhi Notes
- विश्वासात्कथितं = विश्वासात् + कथितम्
- किञ्चित्परिवादं = किञ्चित् + परिवादम्
- यस्याऽर्योऽमते = यस्य + आर्यः + अमते
May the one who counselled the exile of my esteemed brother, acquire the sin in the same way as a wicked-minded person, who divulges the words of abuse secretly confided in him by his friends.
The teaching
Private speech entrusted in confidence must not be weaponized; slander and disclosure corrode dharma and community.
Duties in tension
- Truthful, restrained speech vs manipulative court intrigue
- Loyalty/confidentiality vs self-serving disclosure
- Ethical theme
- Vāg-dharma / satya / social trust
- How it resolves
- Ethical condemnation of betrayal of trust
For your practice
Practice of mauna/guarded speech, avoiding gossip; cultivating satya and confidentiality as tapas.
Mood and themes
- Rasa
- Raudra (fury), with Bibhatsa (disgust)
- Mood
- Bitter, suspicious, denunciatory
Themes
- Dharma
- Satya
- Ethics
- Condemnation of betrayal
- Family duty
Speech (vāk) as a power: when misused for slander it binds and darkens the mind; purity of vāk supports inner clarity.
Chāndogya/Taittirīya themes of satya and tapas; restraint and truthfulness as foundations for inner realization (general echo).
- Bharata and Rama
- Brothers; Bharata’s protective grief frames the accusation (compassionate)
- Bharata and Manthara
- Accusation of wickedness; wish for guilt of betraying confidences (furious)
Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.75.30-31, 2.75.33-34
Dharmaśāstra lists of vāg-doṣa: paiśunya, anṛta, paruṣya (thematic)
Ayodhyākāṇḍa: Mantharā’s role as whisperer and manipulator through speech (earlier Kaikeyī-Mantharā dialogue)
Anuṣṭup (śloka)
Solemn
Madhyama-gati with pointed emphasis on viśvāsāt and vivṛṇotu
FAQs
Dharma here stresses fidelity to trust: betraying confidential speech (viśvāsa) is treated as a serious moral fault, akin to harming social truthfulness (satya) and loyalty.
After learning of Rāma’s exile, Bharata grieves and denounces the unknown/unnamed instigator(s), uttering imprecations framed as moral consequences.
Bharata’s loyalty to Rāma and his commitment to ethical governance—he rejects intrigue and dishonor, valuing truth and trust.
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