Valmiki Ramayana 2.85.18 — Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 85, Shloka 18
भरत-गुहसंवादः
Bharata and Guha: Trust, Hospitality, and the Burden of Grief
प्रसृतस्सर्वगात्रेभ्यस्स्वेदं शोकाग्निसम्भवम्।यथा सूर्यांशुसन्तप्तो हिमवान् प्रसृतोहिमम्।।2.85.18।।
prasṛtas sarvagātrebhyaḥ svedaṁ śokāgnisambhavam |
yathā sūryāṁśusantapto himavān prasṛto himam ||2.85.18||
De todos os seus membros correu o suor, nascido do fogo do luto; como o Himālaya que, aquecido pelos raios do sol, derrete o gelo e o deixa escorrer.
Bharata, son of Kaikeyi was stricken by a lofty mountain of grief. The cavityless rocks of that mountain were his contemplation, the minerals were his sighs, the multitude of trees were his desolation, peaks were his fatigue and mental distress, the unlimited number of animals were his stupor, the bamboo tree was his sorrow.
FAQs
Dharma is shown as lived experience: the body itself responds to moral anguish; Bharata’s distress springs from devotion to what is right.
Bharata’s grief manifests physically; the poet describes sweat pouring forth through a Himalayan melting-ice simile.
Sincerity and depth of feeling—Bharata’s commitment to Rama and righteousness is not performative but visceral.
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