Ramayana — Yuddha Kanda, Sarga 17, Shloka 55

विभीषणागमनम्

Vibhīṣaṇa’s Arrival and the Debate on Refuge

Devanagari script

चारप्रणिहितंयुक्तंयदुक्तंसचिवैस्तव ।अर्थस्यासम्भवात्तत्रकारणंनोपयुज्यते ।।6.17.55।।

Transliteration

cārapraṇihitaṃ yuktaṃ yad uktaṃ sacivais tava | arthasyāsambhavāt tatra kāraṇaṃ nopayujyate || 6.17.55 ||

Translation

What your counsellors suggested—verifying him by deploying spies—may sound proper; yet in this case it is not feasible, and therefore that reasoning does not serve the purpose.

Word by Word

• cāra-praṇihitam: (the measure of) employing spies
• cāra-praṇihitam: Karta (कर्ता/nominal predicate)
• Type: Noun
• Root: cāra + praṇihita (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; अत्र प्रथमा (as subject-complement of 'yuktam')

• yuktam: proper
• yuktam: Kriya-visheshana (विधेय-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: yukta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (predicate: 'proper')

• yat: that which
• yat: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक

• uktam: was said
• uktam: Kriya (क्रिया/implicit)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle/क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• sacivaiḥ: by the ministers
• sacivaiḥ: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saciva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन

• tava: your
• tava: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी, एकवचन

• arthasya: of the purpose / of the objective
• arthasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: artha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन

• asambhavāt: because it is not feasible
• asambhavāt: Hetu (हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asambhava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी, एकवचन; हेत्वर्थ (because of impossibility)

• tatra: therein
• tatra: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• kāraṇam: reason / means
• kāraṇam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāraṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/negator)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय

• upayujyate: is of use / is applied
• upayujyate: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: upa-√yuj (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

Context

"Your counsellors (Sarabha) have said that it is proper to know from the spies to ascertain about him. It has no meaning as it is not possible to do so (as he is near you). It does not serve the purpose."

Characters & Entities

• Hanumān
• Rāma
• Spies (cārāḥ)

FAQs

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

Dharma-guided policy must be realistic and truthful: methods that cannot be executed should not be used as the basis for judgment.

What is the narrative situation?

Hanumān evaluates another proposal in the council—using spies to verify Vibhīṣaṇa—and rejects it as impractical in the immediate circumstance.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Sound judgment in governance—Hanumān prioritizes feasible, ethically coherent action over merely plausible ideas.