Ramayana — Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 108, Shloka 1

जाबाल्युपदेशः

Jabali’s Pragmatic Counsel to Rama

Devanagari script

आश्वासयन्तं भरतं जाबालिर्ब्राह्मणोत्तमः।उवाच रामं धर्मज्ञं धर्मापेतमिदं वचः।।।।

Transliteration

āśvāsayantaṃ bharataṃ jābālir brāhmaṇottamaḥ |

uvāca rāmaṃ dharmajñaṃ dharmāpetam idaṃ vacaḥ || 2.108.1 ||

Translation

Während Rāma, der Kenner des Dharma, Bharata tröstete, redete Jābāli, der Vornehmste unter den Brahmanen, zu ihm mit Worten, die von der Rechtschaffenheit abwichen.

Word by Word

• āśvāsayantam: consoling
• āśvāsayantam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: āśvāsaya (धातु √śvas/√śvās + णिच्; कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (शतृ), परस्मैपदी-कर्तरि; पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन; agreeing with भरतम्

• bharatam: Bharata
• bharatam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bharata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन

• jābāliḥ: Jābāli
• jābāliḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jābāli (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (कर्ता), एकवचन

• brāhmaṇottamaḥ: the best of brahmins
• brāhmaṇottamaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa + uttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (ब्राह्मणानाम् उत्तमः); पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (कर्ता), एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• rāmam: to Rāma
• rāmam: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन

• dharmajñam: knower of dharma
• dharmajñam: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dharma + jña (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उपपद-तत्पुरुष (धर्मं जानाति इति); पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; qualifying रामम्

• dharmāpetam: deviating from righteousness
• dharmāpetam: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dharma + āpeta (प्रातिपदिक; कृदन्त from √i with ā- + apa- sense)
• Form: तत्पुरुष; भूतकृदन्त (क्त), ‘धर्मात् अपेतः’ (ablative-sense); पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; qualifying वचः

• idam: this
• idam: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; qualifying वचः

• vacaḥ: words/speech
• vacaḥ: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vacas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन

Context

While Rama, conversant with dharma, was consoling Bharata, Jabali an eminent brahmin addressed him in words contrary to righteousness.

Characters & Entities

• Rāma
• Bharata
• Jābāli

FAQs

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

It introduces a dharma-discourse: not all persuasive counsel is righteous; ethical discernment is required even when advice comes from an eminent figure.

What is the narrative situation?

During Bharata’s emotional encounter with Rāma in exile, the brahmin Jābāli begins a line of argument intended to make Rāma abandon exile, characterized by the narrator as contrary to dharma.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Rāma’s dharma-jñāna (moral clarity) is foregrounded, setting the stage for his response to ethically problematic reasoning.