Shloka 3

भरतस्य कैकेय्याः प्रति धिक्कारः

Bharata’s Rebuke of Kaikeyi and Affirmation of Ikshvaku Royal Dharma

Devanagari script

दुःखे मे दुःखमकरोर्व्रणे क्षारमिवादधाः।राजानं प्रेतभावस्थं कृत्वा रामं च तापसम्।।।।

Transliteration

duḥkhe me duḥkham akaror vraṇe kṣāram ivādadhāḥ |

rājānaṃ pretabhāvasthaṃ kṛtvā rāmaṃ ca tāpasam ||

Translation

میرے دکھ پر تُو نے اور دکھ بڑھا دیا—جیسے زخم پر نمک مل دیا ہو—بادشاہ کو گویا لاش کی سی حالت تک پہنچا کر، اور رام کو تپسویِ جنگل بنا کر۔

Word by Word

• duḥkhe: in (my) sorrow
• duḥkhe: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: duḥkha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka, Saptamī (7/सप्तमी), Ekavacana; locative ‘in sorrow’

• me: my
• me: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Ṣaṣṭhī (6/षष्ठी), Ekavacana; enclitic genitive ‘my’

• duḥkham: another sorrow
• duḥkham: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: duḥkha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka, Dvitīyā (2/द्वितीया), Ekavacana

• akaroḥ: you caused / you did
• akaroḥ: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (कृ)
• Form: Laṅ (लङ्), Madhyama-puruṣa (2nd person), Ekavacana; parasmaipada

• vraṇe: in a wound
• vraṇe: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vraṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pumliṅga, Saptamī, Ekavacana; locative

• kṣāram: salt/alkali
• kṣāram: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣāra (प्रातिपदik)
• Form: Napumsaka, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana

• iva: like
• iva: Upamā (उपमा)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iva (अव्यय)
• Form: Simile particle (उपमावाचक-निपात)

• adadhāḥ: you placed
• adadhāḥ: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dhā (धा)
• Form: Laṅ (लङ्), Madhyama-puruṣa, Ekavacana; parasmaipada

• rājānam: the king
• rājānam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pumliṅga, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana

• preta-bhāva-stham: lying in the state of death
• preta-bhāva-stham: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: preta (प्रातिपदिक) + bhāva (प्रातिपदिक) + stha (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pumliṅga, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana; tatpuruṣa (multi-member): preta-bhāve sthaḥ (being in the state of a dead person) qualifying rājānam

• kṛtvā: having made
• kṛtvā: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (कृ)
• Form: Absolutive (क्त्वान्त), avyaya; ‘having made’

• rāmam: Rama
• rāmam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pumliṅga, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana

• ca: and
• ca: Nipāta (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction

• tāpasam: an ascetic
• tāpasam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tāpasa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pumliṅga, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana; predicate object with kṛtvā

Context

You have caused the death of the king and reduced Rama to an ascetic. You have piled one sorrow over sorrow on me like rubbing salt to the wound

Characters & Entities

• Bharata
• Kaikeyi
• Rama
• Dasharatha

FAQs

What is the core ethical principle (Dharma) in this verse?

Dharma is framed through accountability: actions driven by selfish desire can devastate the household order (gṛha-dharma) and cause cascading suffering to innocents.

What is the narrative situation?

Bharata confronts Kaikeyi, accusing her of causing Dasharatha’s death and Rama’s transformation from prince to ascetic through exile.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Bharata’s commitment to justice and truth-speaking (satya-vacana), even when it targets his own mother.