Canto 2 -
Ayodhyā-kāṇḍa
Chapter 73: Bharata Decides to Bring Rāma Back
Text 2.73.4
दुःखे मे दुःखमकरोर्व्रणे क्षारमिवादधाः।
राजानं प्रेतभावस्थं कृत्वा रामं च तापसम्॥
duḥkhe me duḥkham akaror vraṇe kṣāram ivādadhāḥ
rājānaṁ preta-bhāvasthaṁ kṛtvā rāmaṁ ca tāpasam
duḥkhe = upon distress; me = Me; duḥkham = with distress; akaroḥ = you have inflicted; vraṇe = on a wound; kṣāram = salt; iva = as if; ādadhāḥ = putting; rājānam = the king; preta-bhāvastham = die; kṛtvā = by making; rāmam = Rāma; ca = and; tāpasam = into an ascetic.
As if putting salt on a wound, you have inflicted Me with distress upon distress by making the king die and Rāma into an ascetic!
GLOSS. Kaikeyī [first] inflicted Bharata with distress regarding [the death of] His father and [then] with distress regarding Rāma’s exile. [The glossator reads ivaudadhaṁ instead of ivādadhāḥ indicating that Kaikeyī’s act was akin to pouring] salty water on a wound.