Canto 2 -
Ayodhyā-kāṇḍa
Chapter 73: Bharata Decides to Bring Rāma Back
Text 2.73.5
कुलस्य त्वमभावाय कालरात्रिरिवागता।
अङ्गारमुपगूह्य स्म पिता मे नावबुद्धवान्॥
kulasya tvam abhāvāya kāla-rātrir ivāgatā
aṅgāram upaguhya sma pitā me nāvabuddhavān
kulasya = this dynasty; tvam = you; abhāvāya = to destroy; kāla-rātriḥ = the night of dissolution; iva = like; āgatā = have arrived; aṅgāram = [burning] charcoal; upaguhya sma = while embracing; pitā = father; me = My; na = not; avabuddhavān = did understand this.
Like the night of dissolution, you have arrived to destroy this dynasty. My father did not understand this while embracing [burning] charcoal.1
1 Meaning, “My father did not understand this while embracing you who are like a piece of burning charcoal.”
Kāla-rātriḥ (“the night of dissolution”) refers to the potency of destruction of all that is manifested at the time of dissolution.
GLOSS. Bharata intended to say that His father had embraced fire without knowledge, that is, he did not understand that it would burn him up.