← 2.76.7 · Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa 76: Bharata’s declaration to the assembly · 2.76.9 →

Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.76.8

Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa, sarga 76: Bharata’s declaration to the assembly. He rejects the throne offered by Vasiṣṭha, declares Rāma the rightful ruler and orders Sumantra to prepare the expedition

In the sequence: Bharata refuses to take the position of his virtuous elder brother, saying that both he and the Kingdom belong to Rāma

2.76.8

tac chrutvā bharato vākyaṃ śokenābhipariplutaḥ
jagāma manasā rāmaṃ dharmajño dharmakāṅkṣayā

Hearing that speech, Bharata, overwhelmed with grief — that knower of dharma — went in his mind to Rāma, out of longing for righteousness.

Words: tac chrutvā — having heard that; bharato — Bharata; vākyaṃ — speech; śokenābhipariplutaḥ — overwhelmed by grief; jagāma — went; manasā — in his mind; rāmaṃ — to Rāma; dharmajño — the knower of dharma; dharmakāṅkṣayā — out of longing for righteousness

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.