Ramayana — Yuddha Kanda, Sarga 60, Shloka 74

कुम्भकर्णविबोधनम्

The Awakening of Kumbhakarna

Devanagari script

एकेनवानरेणेयंपूर्वंदग्धामहापुरी ।कुमारोनिहतश्चाक्षस्सानुयात्रःसकुञ्जरः ।।।।

Transliteration

ekena vānarene yaṃ pūrvaṃ dagdhā mahāpurī |kumāro nihataś cākṣaḥ sānuyātraḥ sakuñjaraḥ ||

Translation

«من قبلُ أُحرقت هذه المدينة العظمى على يد فانارا واحد؛ وقُتل الأمير أكشا، مع أتباعه وحتى فيلته.»

Word by Word

• ekena: by one (single)
• ekena: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: eka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे/नपुंसकलिङ्गे, तृतीया (करण/3rd case), एकवचनम्; instrumental singular; used adjectivally with वानरेण

• vānarena: by a vanara
• vānarena: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vānara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, तृतीया (3rd case), एकवचनम्; instrumental singular

• iyam: this
• iyam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचनम्; demonstrative pronoun

• pūrvam: formerly/earlier
• pūrvam: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pūrva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययम्; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषणम् (temporal adverb)

• dagdhā: burnt
• dagdhā: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dah (धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: कृदन्त-भूतकर्मणि क्त-प्रत्ययान्तः (past passive participle); स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्; agrees with महापुरी

• mahāpurī: the great city
• mahāpurī: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā + purī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचनम्; कर्मधारयः ‘महती च सा पुरी’

• kumāraḥ: the prince/son
• kumāraḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kumāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्

• nihataḥ: killed
• nihataḥ: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: han (धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: कृदन्त-भूतकर्मणि क्त-प्रत्ययान्तः; पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्; agrees with कुमारः/अक्षः

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्ययम् (conjunction)

• akṣaḥ: Aksha
• akṣaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: akṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्; proper name (Akṣa)

• sānuyātraḥ: with followers
• sānuyātraḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sa- + anuyātra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्; बहुव्रीहिः ‘अनुयात्राः सन्ति यस्य’ = having followers

• sakuñjaraḥ: with elephants
• sakuñjaraḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sa- + kuñjara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्; बहुव्रीहिः ‘कुञ्जराः सन्ति यस्य’ = having elephants

Context

"Earlier this great city was burnt by a single Vanara who killed Prince Aksha, and his elephants and followers."

Characters & Entities

• Laṅkā
• Vānara (Hanumān, implied)
• Akṣa
• elephants (kuñjara)

FAQs

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

Dharma favors honest remembrance of facts: ignoring earlier signs of righteous power (Hanumān’s feat) leads to reckless choices and greater harm.

What is the narrative situation?

The speaker cites a concrete past event—Laṅkā’s burning and Akṣa’s death—to prove that the enemy’s capability is real and already demonstrated.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Prudence grounded in evidence: learning from prior events rather than being ruled by ego.