Valmiki Ramayana 2.74.4: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 74, Shloka 4
भरतस्य कैकेयी-गर्हा तथा सुरभि-दृष्टान्तः
Bharata’s Reproach of Kaikeyi and the Surabhi Exemplum
भ्रूणहत्यामसि प्राप्ता कुलस्यास्य विनाशनात् ।
कैकेयि नरकं गच्छ मा च भर्तु स्सलोकताम् ॥४॥
bhrūṇa-hatyām asi prāptā kulasyāsya vināśanāt |
kaikeyi narakaṃ gaccha mā ca bhartuḥ sa-lokatām ||4||
भ्रूणहत्यामसि प्राप्ता कुलस्यास्य विनाशनात्। कैकेयि नरकं गच्छ मा च भर्तुः सलोकताम्॥
O Kaikeyi! by destroying this race you have earned the demerit of killing an embryo and shall enter hell. You shall never attain the same state of living, in the afterworld of your husband.
FAQs
It asserts moral accountability: acts that destroy a family’s stability and righteous order are treated as grave adharma, bearing severe consequences.
Bharata denounces Kaikeyi for the chain of events leading to Dasharatha’s death and the destabilization of the dynasty.
Bharata’s uncompromising commitment to righteousness and protection of the dynasty’s moral order, even against his own mother.
Ask anything about this verse
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
A free sign-in with Google or Apple keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Valmiki Ramayana in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with word-by-word meanings, Sanskrit recitation where available, and more.
