Canto 2 -
Ayodhyā-kāṇḍa
Chapter 92: Bharata Departs for Citrakūṭa
Text 2.92.18
ततः पप्रच्छ भरतं भरद्वाजो दृढव्रतः।
विशेषं ज्ञातुमिच्छामि मातॄणां तव राघव॥
tataḥ papraccha bharataṁ bharadvājo dṛḍha-vrataḥ
viśeṣaṁ jñātum icchāmi mātṝṇāṁ tava rāghava
tataḥ = then; papraccha = asked; bharatam = Bharata; bharadvājaḥ = Bharadvāja; dṛḍha-vrataḥ = of firm vows; viśeṣam = in detail; jñātum = to know; icchāmi = I wish; mātṝṇām = mothers individually; tava = Your; rāghava = O descendant of Raghu.
Then Bharadvāja of firm vows asked Bharata, “O descendant of Raghu, I wish to know Your mothers individually in detail.”
1 The sage wanted Bharata to point out each of His mothers, state their respective names and characteristics. “And characteristics” is added from the commentary to the next verse while discussing this point.
Dṛḍha-vrata (“of firm vows”) indicates that the sage was omniscient. Despite being omniscient, he asked Bharata [thus] to teach Kaikeyī [good lessons]. “I wish to know Your mothers individually in detail” indicates that the sage wanted to know who is who among Bharata’s mothers by name and characteristics.1