← 2.72.24 · Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa 72: Bharata stops Mantharā’s punishment
Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.72.25
Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa, sarga 72: Bharata stops Mantharā’s punishment. Śatrughna drags her across the floor, Bharata orders her release to avoid Rāma’s condemnation
In the sequence: Bharata tells him to release Mantharā, saying that Rāma would condemn the killing and refuse to speak to either brother → Śatrughna lets her go, and she takes refuge with Kaikeyī.
2.72.25
śatrughnavikṣepavimūḍhasaṃjñāṃ samīkṣya kubjāṃ bharatasya mātā
śanaiḥ samāśvāsayad ārtarūpāṃ krauñcīṃ vilagnām iva vīkṣamāṇām
Bharata's mother, looking upon the hunchback — her senses dazed by Śatrughna's rough handling, piteous in appearance, staring about like a female krauñca caught in a snare — gently consoled her.
Words: śatrughnavikṣepavimūḍhasaṃjñāṃ — her senses dazed by Śatrughna's shaking; samīkṣya — having looked upon; kubjāṃ — the hunchback; bharatasya — of Bharata; mātā — the mother; śanaiḥ — gently, slowly; samāśvāsayad — consoled; ārtarūpāṃ — piteous in appearance; krauñcīṃ — a female krauñca-bird; vilagnām — caught, entangled; iva — like; vīkṣamāṇām — staring about
Composed by Maharṣi Vālmīki. 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.