Valmiki Ramayana 2.90.7: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 90, Shloka 7
भरद्वाजाश्रमगमनम्
Bharata at Bharadvāja’s Hermitage
Setting: Bharadvāja-āśrama (Prayāga region)Places named: AyodhyāBharata’s party halted at the hermitage while traveling toward Citrakūṭa
अयोध्यायां बले कोशे मित्रेष्वपि च मन्त्रिषु ।
जानन् दशरथं वृत्तं न राजानमुदाहरत् ॥७॥
ayodhyāyāṃ bale kośe mitreṣv api ca mantriṣu |
jānan daśarathaṃ vṛttaṃ na rājānam udāharat ||7||
ท่านไต่ถามถึงกรุงอโยธยา—ทั้งกองทัพและพระคลัง ตลอดจนมิตรและเสนาบดีทั้งหลาย; แต่เพราะรู้เหตุการณ์ที่เกิดแก่พระเจ้าทศรถ จึงมิได้เอ่ยนามพระราชา
Sandhi Notes
- मित्रेष्वपि → मित्रेषु + अपि
- राजानमुदाहरत् → राजानम् + उदाहरत्
He enquired about the welfare of Ayodhya, of the army, treasury, friends and the ministers. But knowingly did not mention about Dasaratha's well-being (the knew Dasaratha was dead).
The teaching
Dharma includes not only speaking truth but speaking it with timing and compassion; restraint can be righteous.
Duties in tension
- Truth-telling about the king’s fate vs compassion in speech toward a grieving son
- Political inquiry into rājyasthiti vs personal mourning
- Ethical theme
- Vāg-dharma / rājadharma
- How it resolves
- Tactful omission (dayā-yukta vāṅ-niyama)
For your practice
Cultivation of mindful speech—knowing when silence is kinder than words.
Mood and themes
- Rasa
- Karuna (compassion), with Shanta (peace)
- Mood
- Tactful, heavy-silence, state-anxiety
Themes
- Dharma
- Satya
- Maryada
- Itihasa
- Ethics
The unspoken name signifies the power of vāṅ-niyama (discipline of speech) and the recognition of impermanence (anityatā) beneath political structures.
Katha Upaniṣad’s undertone of mortality and the unsaid truth; also the ethic of measured speech (vāg-yama) found across śruti.
- Bharadvaja and Bharata
- Sage questioning prince with tact (compassionate-restraint)
- Bharadvaja and Dasharatha
- Sage aware of king’s fate; avoids direct mention (sorrowful-respect)
- Bharata and Dasharatha
- Son grieving father (implied) (bereaved)
- Bharadvaja and Ayodhya
- Inquiry into rājyadharma stability (concerned)
Mahābhārata, Śānti/Anuśāsana: discussions of bala-kośa-mitra-mantri as pillars of statecraft (thematic); Rāmacaritamānasa, Ayodhyākāṇḍa: indirect references and restrained speech around Daśaratha’s death (thematic)
Arthaśāstra-style state elements (prakṛtis) as bala/kośa/mitra/mantri
Ayodhyākāṇḍa: Daśaratha’s death and its concealment/announcement dynamics; Bharata’s return and shock (contextual linkage)
Anuṣṭup
Solemn
Mandra-to-madhya glide, with a pause (virāma) effect at 'na rājānam udāharat'
FAQs
Sensitive truthfulness: one may uphold satya without harshness—Bharadvāja avoids abruptly raising Daśaratha’s fate, showing compassionate restraint.
During the welfare inquiry, Bharadvāja asks about state affairs but deliberately does not ask about Daśaratha, aware of the king’s demise.
Tact and compassion—wisdom that chooses appropriate speech (vāg-niyama) in painful contexts.
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.
