Valmiki Ramayana 2.87.2-3: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 87, Shlokas 2-3
गुहसंवादः · रामस्य रात्रिवासवर्णनम्
Dialogue with Guha: Account of Rama’s Night Halt
सुकुमारो महासत्त्वस्सिंहस्कन्धो महाभुजः ।
पुण्डरीकविशालाक्ष स्तरुणः प्रियदर्शनः ॥२॥
प्रत्याश्वस्य मुहूर्तं तु कालं परमदुर्मनाः ।
पपात सहसा तोत्रैर्ह्यतिविद्ध इव द्विपः ॥३॥
sukumāro mahāsattvaḥ siṃhaskandho mahābhujaḥ |
puṇḍarīkaviśālākṣas taruṇaḥ priyadarśanaḥ ||2||
pratyāśvasya muhūrtaṃ tu kālaṃ paramadurmanāḥ |
papāta sahasā totrair hy atividdha iva dvipaḥ ||3||
Bharata—delicado e, contudo, de grande vigor de alma, de ombros como os de um leão, de braços poderosos, de olhos vastos como lótus, jovem e agradável de ver—reanimou-se por um instante; mas, com a mente subjugada pela dor, caiu de súbito, como um elefante duramente ferido pelo aguilhão.
Sandhi Notes
- महासत्त्वस्सिंहस्कन्धो = महासत्त्वः + सिंहस्कन्धः (visarga sandhi)
- पुण्डरीकविशालाक्षस्तरुणः = ...अक्षः + तरुणः
- तोत्रैर्हि = तोत्रैः + हि (visarga sandhi)
The delicate, youthful, highly energetic and mighty-armed Bharata of graceful appearance, with shoulders like that of a lion and wide-eyed like lotus petals, recovered for a moment and with a mind deeply distressed fell down at once like an elephant smitten by a goad.
The teaching
Even the righteous may be overwhelmed by śoka; dharma requires regaining steadiness to act rightly.
Duties in tension
- Political duty to stabilize the kingdom
- Familial duty and devotion toward Rāma
- Personal integrity vs inherited suspicion due to Kaikeyī’s act
- Ethical theme
- Rāja-dharma vs kula-dharma (dharma-sankata)
- How it resolves
- Emotional collapse preceding renewed resolve
For your practice
Contemplation on viraha-bhakti: grief can be transmuted into steadfast surrender and right action once composure returns.
Mood and themes
- Rasa
- Karuna (compassion), with Bhayanaka (fear)
- Mood
- Heartbroken, fainting, helpless
Themes
- Itihasa
- Grief
- Ethics
- Dharma (emotional burden of duty)
Even a noble, strong personality collapses when identified with grief; strength without inner steadiness (ātma-niṣṭhā) is vulnerable to the ‘goad’ of sorrow.
Bṛhadāraṇyaka/Chāndogya themes: sorrow arises from duality and attachment; the mind’s fall when prāṇa and manas are shaken by intense duḥkha.
- Bharata and Rama
- Younger brother grieving separation/banishment of elder brother (anguished devotion)
- Bharata and Grief
- Mind overwhelmed by sorrow (overpowered)
Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.87.3 (same verse repeated); Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.82–2.83 (Bharata’s lament and self-reproach)
Mahābhārata: lament-fainting similes (elephant struck, warrior collapsing) in śoka-parvans; Rāmacaritamānasa: Bharata’s viraha and fainting in Ayodhyā-kāṇḍa
Ayodhyākāṇḍa: repeated emphasis on Bharata’s purity and grief as proof of his innocence in the exile
Anuṣṭup
Grieving
Gāndhāra
FAQs
The verse shows the human cost of dharma: even the virtuous are shaken by sorrow when duty and family rupture collide.
Bharata briefly regains composure but collapses again under intense grief.
Bharata’s sensitivity and sincerity—his grief underscores his deep moral involvement and love for Rāma.
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