Valmiki Ramayana 2.98.6: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 98, Shloka 6
चित्रकूटप्रवेशः · Bharata Enters the Forest Toward Chitrakuta
Spoken by BharataSetting: On the route from Ayodhya toward Citrakuta (Bharata’s expedition to bring Rama back)Places named: Ayodhya, CitrakutaApproaching the forest-dwelling of Rama
यावन्न रामं द्रक्ष्यामि लक्ष्मणं वा महाबलम् ।
वैदेहीं च महाभागां न मे शान्तिर्भविष्यति ॥६॥
yāvan na rāmaṁ drakṣyāmi lakṣmaṇaṁ vā mahābalam |
vaidehīṁ ca mahābhāgāṁ na me śāntir bhaviṣyati ||6||
यावन्न रामं द्रक्ष्यामि लक्ष्मणं वा महाबलम्। वैदेहीं च महाभागां न मे शान्तिर्भविष्यति॥
Sandhi Notes
- यावन्न = यावत् न (त् + न → न्न)
- शान्तिर्भविष्यति = शान्तिः भविष्यति (visarga sandhi)
'I shall not rest in peace until I see Rama, powerful Lakshmana and illustrious princess of Videha (Sita).
The teaching
Inner peace follows dharma; legitimacy and moral order outweigh personal comfort and expedient power.
Duties in tension
- Accepting kingship as immediate political necessity vs. restoring the rightful heir (Rama)
- Personal peace vs. public duty and moral restitution
- Ethical theme
- Rāja-dharma / kula-dharma
- How it resolves
- Vow-based restitution (niyama): peace deferred until dharma is restored through reunion
For your practice
Cultivates niyama (firm resolve) and śaraṇāgati-like humility toward the righteous; useful for reflection on remorse and corrective action.
Mood and themes
- Rasa
- Karuna (compassion), with Shanta (peace)
- Mood
- Restless longing, penitent, yearning
Themes
- Dharma
- Satya
- Fraternal loyalty
- Compassion
- Itihasa
Śānti is not external comfort but cessation of inner agitation (vṛtti-nirodha) through alignment with dharma and truth.
The quest for śānti through right knowledge/right order recalls the repeated Upaniṣadic refrain “śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ” as the settling of the self.
- Bharata and Rama
- Younger brother longing to meet elder brother/king-designate (devotional-affectionate)
- Bharata and Lakshmana
- Brotherly respect toward protector of Rama (admiring)
- Bharata and Sita
- Sister-in-law revered as ideal queen (reverential)
Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.98.7-9 (anaphoric ‘yāvan na…’ sequence of vows); Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.82-83 (Bharata’s remorse and resolve to fetch Rama)
Vedic/Upaniṣadic śānti-prārthanā motifs (peace as culmination)
Ayodhyākāṇḍa: Bharata’s rejection of the kingdom and insistence on Rama’s return (context around 2.84-2.99)
Anuṣṭup (śloka)
Grieving
Mandra-niṣāda to madhyama, with a soft cadence on “na me śāntir bhaviṣyati”
FAQs
Dharma as steadfast concern for the rightful and the vulnerable: Bharata’s peace depends on the welfare and presence of Rama, Lakshmana, and Sita.
Bharata expresses his inner urgency and anxiety during the search, stating he cannot be at peace until they are found.
Deep fraternal devotion and empathy—his emotional unrest reflects sincere commitment rather than political ambition.
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