Ramayana — Kishkindha Kanda, Sarga 46, Shloka 21

पृथिवीमण्डलपरिज्ञानम्

Sugriva on Surveying the Earth’s Regions

Devanagari script

इदानीं मे स्मृतं राजन्यथा वाली हरीश्वरः।।।।मतङ्गेन तदा शप्तो ह्यस्मिन्नाश्रममण्डले।प्रविशेद्यदि वै वाली मूर्धाऽस्य शतधा भवेत्।।।।तत्र वासस्सुखोऽस्माकं निरुद्विग्नो भविष्यति।

Transliteration

idānīṁ me smṛtaṁ rājan yathā vālī harīśvaraḥ |

mataṅgena tadā śapto hy asminn āśramamaṇḍale |

praviśed yadi vai vālī mūrdhā 'sya śatadhā bhavet |

tatra vāsaḥ sukho 'smākaṁ nirudvigno bhaviṣyati ||

Translation

“Now I remember, O king, how Vālī—the lord of the monkeys—was once cursed by Matanga: ‘If Vālī enters this hermitage-ground, his head shall shatter into a hundred pieces.’ There, our dwelling will be pleasant and free from fear.”

Word by Word

• idānīm: now
• idānīm: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: idānīm (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• me: of me / to me (contextual)
• me: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम (pronoun); षष्ठी/Genitive (6th), एकवचन (Singular)

• smṛtam: (it) is remembered
• smṛtam: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: smṛ (धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: कृदन्त (past passive participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/Accusative (1st/2nd), एकवचन; भावे प्रयोगः—‘स्मृतम्’ = ‘remembered (by me)’

• rājan: O king
• rājan: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सम्बोधन/ Vocative (8th), एकवचन

• yathā: how / as
• yathā: Prakāra (प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्बन्धबोधक-अव्यय (correlative/quotative indeclinable)

• vālī: Vāli
• vālī: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vālin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• harīśvaraḥ: lord/king of monkeys
• harīśvaraḥ: Samānādhikaraṇa (समानाधिकरण; apposition to Vāli)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hari + īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: हरिणाम् ईश्वरः); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• mataṅgena: by Mataṅga
• mataṅgena: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mataṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया/Instrumental (3rd), एकवचन

• tadā: then
• tadā: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• śaptaḥ: cursed
• śaptaḥ: Kriyā (क्रिया; predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: śap (धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: कृदन्त (past passive participle); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्तरि-विशेषणरूपेण (predicate adjective)

• hi: indeed / for
• hi: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध; discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle; emphatic/causal)

• asmin: in this
• asmin: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; पुं/नपुंसक, सप्तमी/Locative (7th), एकवचन

• āśrama-maṇḍale: in the hermitage precinct
• āśrama-maṇḍale: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: āśrama + maṇḍala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: आश्रमस्य मण्डलम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन

• praviśet: should enter
• praviśet: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-viś (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• yadi: if
• yadi: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध; condition marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadi (अव्यय)
• Form: शर्तबोधक-अव्यय (conditional conjunction)

• vai: indeed
• vai: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध; discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle; emphasis)

• vālī: Vāli
• vālī: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vālin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• mūrdhā: head
• mūrdhā: Karta (कर्ता; subject of bhavet)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mūrdhan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• asya: of him / his
• asya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन

• śatadhā: into a hundred pieces
• śatadhā: Prakāra (प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: śatadhā (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (manner adverb: ‘into a hundred ways/parts’)

• bhavet: would become
• bhavet: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• tatra: there
• tatra: Deśa-adhikaraṇa (देशाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• vāsaḥ: dwelling / residence
• vāsaḥ: Karta (कर्ता; subject of bhaviṣyati)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• sukhaḥ: pleasant
• sukhaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sukha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifies vāsaḥ)

• asmākam: of us / for us
• asmākam: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन (Plural)

• nirudvignaḥ: undisturbed / untroubled
• nirudvignaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nir-udvigna (प्रातिपदिक; from udvij)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifies vāsaḥ)

• bhaviṣyati: will be
• bhaviṣyati: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future), परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• tataḥ: thereafter
• tataḥ: Apādāna (अपादान; adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अपादान/क्रमवाचक-अव्यय (ablatival adverb: ‘thereafter/from there’)

• parvatam: mountain
• parvatam: Karma (कर्म; object of āsādya)
• Type: Noun
• Root: parvata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया/Accusative (2nd), एकवचन

• āsādya: having reached
• āsādya: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-sad (धातु) + lyap (ल्यप्)
• Form: क्त्वान्त/ल्यबन्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund/absolutive); ‘having reached/approached’

• ṛṣyamūkam: Ṛṣyamūka (mountain)
• ṛṣyamūkam: Karma (कर्म; in apposition to parvatam)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṛṣyamūka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter; mountain-name), द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; parvata-viśeṣaṇa (appositional)

• nṛpātmaja: O prince (king's son)
• nṛpātmaja: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛpa + ātmaja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: नृपस्य आत्मजः); पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th), एकवचन

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध; negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negation particle)

• viveśa: entered
• viveśa: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: viś (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• tadā: then
• tadā: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय

• vālī: Vāli
• vālī: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vālin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• mataṅgasya: of Mataṅga
• mataṅgasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mataṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन

• bhayāt: from fear
• bhayāt: Hetu (हेतु; cause)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी/Ablative (5th), एकवचन

• tadā: then
• tadā: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय

Context

'I remembed Matanga's curse to Vali, king of monkeys. Vali would not enter the site of Matanga's hermitage as his head would break into a hundred pieces if he did'. Therefore we thought it would be safe for us to reside in that place.

Characters & Entities

• Hanumān
• Sugrīva
• Vālī
• Matanga

FAQs

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

Respect for ṛṣi-authority and moral boundaries: a cursed, protected sacred space functions as a dharmic refuge where wrongdoing (trespass by the offender) is restrained.

What is the narrative situation?

Hanumān recalls Matanga’s curse on Vālī and identifies the hermitage precinct as a safe place where Vālī will not dare to enter.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Hanumān’s discernment—remembering sacred constraints and using them to protect the vulnerable.