Ramayana — Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 50, Shloka 15

गङ्गादर्शनम् तथा गुहसमागमः

Vision of the Gaṅgā and Meeting with Guha

Devanagari script

देवाऽऽक्रीडशताकीर्णां देवोद्यानशतायुताम्।देवार्थमाकाशगमां विख्यातां देवपद्मिनीम्।।2.50.15।।

Transliteration

devākrīḍa-śatākīrṇāṁ devodyāna-śatāyutām |

devārtham ākāśa-gamāṁ vikhyātāṁ deva-padminīm || 2.50.15 ||

Translation

Filled with hundreds of divine playgrounds and joined to hundreds of heavenly gardens, flowing through the sky for the sake of the gods, she was famed as Devapadminī—the river of celestial lotuses.

Word by Word

• deva-dānava-gandharvaiḥ: by gods, demons, and gandharvas
• deva-dānava-gandharvaiḥ: Karana (करण) (agent/association in passive construction)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक) + dānava (प्रातिपदिक) + gandharva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Tṛtīyā plural; dvandva (समाहार/इतरेतर) listing classes; instrumental

• kinnaraiḥ: by kinnaras
• kinnaraiḥ: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kinnara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Tṛtīyā plural

• upa-śobhitām: made splendid, adorned
• upa-śobhitām: Karma (कर्म) (qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: upa+√śubh/√śobh (धातु; to shine/adorn) (kta participle śobhita)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Dvitīyā singular; kta participle; agrees with gaṅgām

• nānā-gandharva-patnībhiḥ: by wives of various gandharvas
• nānā-gandharva-patnībhiḥ: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nānā (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक 'various') + gandharva (प्रातिपदिक) + patnī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Tṛtīyā plural; tatpurusha: 'nānānāṃ gandharvāṇāṃ patnībhiḥ' (by wives of various gandharvas)

• sevitām: frequented
• sevitām: Karma (कर्म) (qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sevita (कृदन्त; √sev, kta)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Dvitīyā singular; agrees with gaṅgām

• satataṃ: always, continually
• satataṃ: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: satata (प्रातिपदिक used adverbially)
• Form: Avyaya (क्रियाविशेषण) adverb of frequency

• śivām: auspicious
• śivām: Karma (कर्म) (qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śivā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Dvitīyā singular; agrees with gaṅgām

Context

I must give you back whatever you have offered me so affectionately. I am not in a position to accept anything.

Characters & Entities

• Gaṅgā
• Devas

FAQs

What is the core ethical principle (Dharma) in this verse?

The river’s sacred status reflects dharma as sustaining order across worlds; what is pure and life-giving is revered and protected.

What is the narrative situation?

The text continues a poetic, cosmological description of Gaṅgā, highlighting her heavenly course and divine epithet.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Cultural memory and reverence for tīrthas (sacred crossings), which guide conduct through respect for sanctified spaces.