Valmiki Ramayana 2.74.25: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 74, Shloka 25
भरतस्य कैकेयी-गर्हा तथा सुरभि-दृष्टान्तः
Bharata’s Reproach of Kaikeyi and the Surabhi Exemplum
Spoken by Surabhi to Indra
ममकायात्प्रसूतौ हि दुःखितौ भारपीडितौ ।
यौ दृष्ट्वा परितप्येऽहं नास्ति पुत्रसमः प्रियः ॥२५॥
mama kāyāt prasūtau hi duḥkhitau bhārapīḍitau |
yau dṛṣṭvā paritapye ’haṁ nāsti putrasamaḥ priyaḥ ||25||
వారు నా దేహమునుండే పుట్టినవారు; దుఃఖితులై భారంతో నలిగిపోతున్నారు. వారిని చూసి నా హృదయం మండిపోతుంది—కుమారునంత ప్రియమైనవాడు మరెవ్వరూ లేరు।
Sandhi Notes
- mamakāyātprasūtau→mama+kāyāt+prasūtau
- paritapye'haṃ→paritapye+aham
- nāsti→na+asti
'These bulls were born from my body and they are oppressed by the burden. Having seen their anguish, I am extremely grieved. There is none so dear as a son'.
The teaching
Love creates responsibility: the closer the bond, the sharper the duty to protect and relieve suffering.
- Ethical theme
- Gṛhastha-dharma analogue (care for dependents); dayā
For your practice
Reflection on attachment and compassion: transform natural affection into active protection and non-cruelty; cultivate empathy for all ‘dependents’.
Mood and themes
- Rasa
- Karuna (compassion), with Shanta (peace)
- Mood
- Maternal, piercing, burdened
Themes
- Dharma
- Parental duty
- Compassion
- Ethics
- Satya
The verse highlights deha-abhimāna (body-identification) and its inevitable sorrow; yet also points to dharma of care—love as a force that compels protection.
Implicit contrast with Upaniṣadic move from putra/wealth to ātman as ultimate dear (e.g., Bṛhadāraṇyaka ‘ātmanas tu kāmāya…’), here showing the worldly truth of putra-priyatā.
- Surabhi and Indra
- Confessional lament before authority (imploring)
Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad 2.4 (thematic contrast: what is truly dear)
Common Sanskrit maxim-like sentiment: ‘no one dear like a son’ (putra-prīti)
Rāmāyaṇa’s recurring parental grief: Daśaratha for Rāma; later laments for sons across kāṇḍas (thematic)
Anuṣṭup (śloka)
Grieving
Slow tempo; emphasize ‘nāsti putra-samaḥ priyaḥ’ with cadential finality
FAQs
Dharma recognizes the sanctity of familial bonds and the duty of care; the suffering of one’s dependents becomes a moral claim upon the conscience.
Surabhi intensifies her explanation: the bulls are her own offspring, and their forced labor causes her acute grief.
Vātsalya (parental affection) as a virtue that motivates protection and compassion.
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