Valmiki Ramayana 2.84.9: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 84, Shloka 9
गुहस्य सन्देहः, गङ्गातीर-रक्षा, भरतस्य सत्कारः
Guha’s Suspicion, Securing the Ganga Bank, and Hospitality to Bharata
Spoken by GuhaSetting: Gaṅgā crossing pointPlaces named: GaṅgāDecision point: cross today if Bharata proves well-disposed
यदाऽऽदुष्टस्तु भरतो रामस्येह भविष्यति ।
सेयं स्वस्तिमती सेना गङ्गामद्य तरिष्यति ॥९॥
yadā ’duṣṭas tu bharato rāmasyeha bhaviṣyati |
seyaṃ svastimatī senā gaṅgām adya tariṣyati ||9||
หากปรากฏว่าพระภรตะ ณ ที่นี้ มิได้มีจิตคิดร้ายต่อพระรามแล้ว กองทัพอันเป็นมงคลนี้จักข้ามแม่น้ำคงคาได้โดยสวัสดีในวันนี้เอง
Sandhi Notes
- yadā aduṣṭaḥ: yadā + aduṣṭaḥ (ā + a)
- sā iyam → seyam
- rāmasya iha → rāmasyeha
- gaṅgām adya → gaṅgāmadya
Should it happen that Bharata is not illdisposed toward Rama, the army will safe cross the river Ganga today itself.
The teaching
Proceed decisively when hostility is disproved; let verification transform fear into auspicious action.
Duties in tension
- Need to act swiftly (protect and proceed)
- Duty to verify intent and avoid reckless harm or exposure
- Maintaining fraternal harmony vs guarding against political threat
- Ethical theme
- Discernment under uncertainty
- How it resolves
- Conditional action based on moral assessment
Devotion and practice
Practice discernment (viveka) before action; cultivate ‘svasti’ by aligning intention with non-harm and truth.
- Mantra
- "स्वस्ति" (auspicious safety) as blessing-word
Mood and themes
- Rasa
- Bhayanaka (fear), with Shanta (peace)
- Mood
- Conditional, relieved-hope, guarded
Themes
- Dharma
- Satya (verification of intent)
- Non-violence
- Itihasa
- Reconciliation
Safety (svasti) follows when intentions are purified; outer crossing mirrors inner passage from doubt to clarity.
‘Tarati’ (to cross) resonates with liberation metaphors—crossing beyond fear when hostility is absent.
- Guha and Bharata
- Risk assessment of claimant; conditional trust (cautious)
- Bharata and Rama
- Brothers; loyalty being tested (uncertain)
- Guha and Army
- Commander-to-force; assurance of safe passage (protective)
- Army and Ganga
- Crossing obstacle/threshold
Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa: Bharata’s demonstrated devotion and refusal of kingdom (Ayodhyākāṇḍa later episodes); Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.84.5 (suspicion of Bharata’s motive)
Vedic ‘svasti’ formulas (e.g., svasti-vācana in blessings)
Ayodhyākāṇḍa: themes of testing, rumor, and eventual reconciliation around Bharata
Anuṣṭup (śloka)
Narrative
Gentle descent on "स्वस्तिमती"; slight lift on "अद्य" to mark immediacy
FAQs
Dharma requires testing assumptions with truth (satya): if Bharata’s intent is righteous, safe passage should be granted instead of needless conflict.
Guha sets a conditional decision—permit crossing only after confirming Bharata’s disposition toward Rāma.
Fair-mindedness—despite suspicion, Guha allows for the possibility of Bharata’s good intent.
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