Valmiki Ramayana 2.87.9: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 87, Shloka 9
गुहसंवादः · रामस्य रात्रिवासवर्णनम्
Dialogue with Guha: Account of Rama’s Night Halt
Spoken by Kausalya to BharataSetting: Ayodhyā palacePlaces named: AyodhyāRāma and Lakṣmaṇa departed into exile (implied onward forest journey)
त्वां दृष्ट्वा पुत्र जीवामि रामे सभ्रातृकेगते ।
वृत्ते दशरथे राज्ञि नाथ एकस्त्वमद्य नः ॥९॥
tvāṃ dṛṣṭvā putra jīvāmi rāme sabhrātṛke gate |
vṛtte daśarathe rājñi nātha ekas tvam adya naḥ ||9||
“పుత్రా, నిన్ను చూసి నేనే జీవిస్తున్నాను—రాముడు తన సోదరునితో వెళ్లిపోయాడు, రాజా దశరథుడు పరలోకగతుడయ్యాడు. ఇకనుంచి నీవే మా ఏకైక నాథుడు।”
Sandhi Notes
- tvāṅ dṛṣṭvā → tvāṃ dṛṣṭvā (anusvāra before d-)
- putra! (vocative punctuation). sabhrātṛkēgatē → sabhrātṛke gate (split)
- rāmē → rāme
- vṛttē → vṛtte
- ēkastvamadya → ekaḥ tvam adya (visarga lost before t in sandhi)
- naḥ retained as enclitic genitive plural
O my son, with Rama gone to the forest along with your brother Lakshmana and with king Dasaratha departed from this world, I continue to live seeing you. From now on you alone are our sole protector.
The teaching
When rightful authority is absent, dharma demands protective stewardship—supporting the vulnerable while honoring legitimacy.
Duties in tension
- Bharata’s personal loyalty to Rama vs. immediate duty to protect the palace and dependents
- Mourning vs. governance continuity
- Ethical theme
- Rāja-dharma / niyoga (stewardship)
- How it resolves
- Transfer of guardianship responsibility to Bharata pending rightful restoration
For your practice
Contemplation on impermanence and duty; cultivating steadiness as a protector for others.
Mood and themes
- Rasa
- Karuna (compassion), with Vira (heroism)
- Mood
- Bereft, dependent, resolute
Themes
- Dharma
- Satya
- Itihasa
- Ethics
- Family duty
- Protection of dependents
With external ‘protectors’ gone, reliance shifts—teaching the instability of worldly nāthas and hinting at the need for the ultimate refuge (parama-āśraya).
Śvetāśvatara’s ‘tam eva śaraṇaṃ gaccha’ is conceptually echoed: when human supports fail, the idea of refuge becomes central (here, temporarily in Bharata).
- Kausalya and Bharata
- Dependence on him as sole protector; emotional anchoring (pleading)
- Bharata and Rama
- Brothers; Rama’s departure creates Bharata’s guardianship role (sorrowful)
- Rama and Lakshmana
- Brothers traveling together (sabhrātṛka) (dutiful)
- Kausalya and Dasharatha
- Widow grieving deceased husband (sorrowful)
- Bharata and Dasharatha
- Son after father’s death; inherits protective role (solemn)
Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.20-2.23 (Rāma’s departure with Lakṣmaṇa); Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.66-2.70 (Daśaratha’s death); Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.99-2.100 (Bharata as regent with pādukā)
Rāmacaritamānasa, Ayodhyākāṇḍa (Ayodhyā’s bereavement; Bharata as dharma-guardian)
Ayodhyākāṇḍa: repeated ‘nātha’ motif for king/protector and its transfer after Daśaratha’s death
Anuṣṭup
Solemn
Dīrgha-svara on ‘nātha’ and ‘ekas’ (weighty emphasis)
FAQs
Dharma is guardianship of the vulnerable: with the rightful heir exiled and the king dead, Bharata is urged to protect the household and uphold truth and order.
Kausalyā laments Rāma’s departure and Daśaratha’s death, and turns to Bharata as the remaining pillar of support.
Reliability and protective leadership—Bharata is called to act as nātha (protector) for the bereaved family and the state.
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