← 2.66.44 · Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa 66: Kaikeyī’s disclosure
Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.66.45
Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa, sarga 66: Kaikeyī’s disclosure. Bharata learns that Daśaratha died calling for the exiles, Kaikeyī admits arranging Rāma’s banishment and urges him to claim the throne
In the sequence: Kaikeyī admits that Rāma did nothing wrong: she obtained the Kingdom for Bharata and the exile for Rāma, after which Daśaratha died of grief → she tells Bharata to perform the funeral and take the throne, expecting gratitude for what she has done.
2.66.45
tat putra śīghraṃ vidhinā vidhijñair vasiṣṭhamukhyaiḥ sahito dvijendraiḥ
saṃkālya rājānam adīnasattvam ātmānam urvyām abhiṣecayasva
“Therefore, my son, quickly and in due form, together with the foremost twice-born led by Vasiṣṭha who know the rites, perform the funeral of the king of undaunted spirit, and consecrate yourself upon the earth.”
Words: tat — therefore; putra — O son; śīghraṃ — quickly; vidhinā — by rite; vidhijñair — with those who know the rites; vasiṣṭhamukhyaiḥ — led by Vasiṣṭha; sahito — together with; dvijendraiḥ — with the best of the twice-born; saṃkālya — having performed the funeral rites for; rājānam — the king; adīnasattvam — of undaunted spirit; ātmānam — yourself; urvyām — upon the earth; abhiṣecayasva — consecrate
Composed by Maharṣi Vālmīki, the ādikavi of the ādikāvya: the first poet of the first poem. Sanskrit: The Vālmīki-Rāmāyaṇa: Critical Edition, Oriental Institute, Baroda, 1960–1975 (gen. eds. G. H. Bhatt, U. P. Shah); IAST from GRETIL (Göttingen). Translation and word glosses: Claude Opus 4.6–4.7; summaries and sequences: ChatGPT Astra (machine-made). Numbering follows the Critical Edition, not the vulgate (e.g. Gita Press, valmikiramayan.net), so sarga and verse numbers can differ from those editions.