Ramayana — Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 115, Shloka 25

पादुकाभिषेकः

The Consecration of Rama’s Sandals and Bharata’s Trusteeship at Nandigrama

Devanagari script

स वालव्यजनं छत्रं धारयामास स स्वयं।भरत श्शासनं सर्वं पादुकाभ्यां निवेदयन्।।।।

Transliteration

sa vāla-vyajanaṃ chatraṃ dhārayāmāsa sa svayam | bharataḥ śāsanaṃ sarvaṃ pādukābhyāṃ nivedayan ||

Translation

Er selbst trug den königlichen Sonnenschirm und das Yakschwanz-Fächer; und Bharata legte jede Anordnung der Herrschaft zuerst dem Paar der Sandalen vor.

Word by Word

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pronoun; Masculine, Nominative Singular

• vāla-vyajanam: yak-tail fan (chamara)
• vāla-vyajanam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāla (प्रातिपदिक) + vyajana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa; Neuter, Accusative Singular

• chatram: parasol
• chatram: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: chatra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative Singular

• dhārayāmāsa: held, bore
• dhārayāmāsa: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dhṛ (धातु) + causative (णिच्)
• Form: Periphrastic perfect (लिट्-परस्मैपद) in narrative usage; 3rd person Singular; Causative stem dhāraya- “caused to be held/held”

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pronoun; Masculine, Nominative Singular (re-emphatic)

• svayam: himself
• svayam: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: svayam (अव्यय)
• Form: Indeclinable; reflexive adverb (स्वयम्)

• bharataḥ: Bharata
• bharataḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bharata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative Singular

• śāsanam: command, order
• śāsanam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śāsana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative Singular

• sarvam: all
• sarvam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative Singular; adjective to śāsanam

• pādukābhyām: to the two sandals
• pādukābhyām: Sampradāna (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pādukā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Dative/Instrumental Dual (चतुर्थी/तृतीया-द्विवचन); here Dative (to whom offered)

• nivedayan: submitting, reporting
• nivedayan: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ni-√vid (धातु) (कृदन्त: शतृ)
• Form: Present active participle (शतृ); Masculine, Nominative Singular; attendant action to dhārayāmāsa

Context

O Bharata, the words you have uttered out of devotion to your brother which befityou alone are highly praiseworthy.

Characters & Entities

• Bharata
• Pādukā (Rama’s sandals)
• Chatra (royal parasol)

FAQs

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

Service-oriented governance: authority is treated as stewardship under the rightful ruler, expressed through ritual submission of decisions.

What is the narrative situation?

In Nandigrāma, Bharata performs royal honors to Rama’s sandals and routes administration through them symbolically.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Sevā (humble service) and political humility—Bharata refuses to center kingship on himself.