Valmiki Ramayana 2.63.51 — Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 63, Shloka 51

दशरथस्य शोकानुचिन्तनं शब्धवेधि-दोषस्मरणं च

Daśaratha’s grief, karmic reflection, and the remembered ‘śabdavedhī’ misdeed

Devanagari script

ताम्यमानस्स मां कृच्छ्रादुवाच परमार्तवत्।सीदमानो विवृत्ताङ्गो वेष्टमानो गतः क्षयम्।।2.63.51।।

Transliteration

tāmyamānaḥ sa māṃ kṛcchrād uvāca paramārtavat | sīdamāno vivṛttāṅgo veṣṭamāno gataḥ kṣayam || 2.63.51 ||

Translation

Gequält und dem Tode nahe, seine Glieder sich windend und zuckend, sprach er unter größter Qual und nur mit großer Mühe zu mir.

Word by Word

• tāmyamānaḥ: being tormented/fainting
• tāmyamānaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: tam (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (शानच्), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-एकवचन

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-एकवचन

• mām: me
• mām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वितीया-एकवचन

• kṛcchrāt: with difficulty
• kṛcchrāt: Hetu (हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛcchra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-एकवचन (ablative used adverbially)

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• paramārtavat: like one in extreme anguish
• paramārtavat: Kriya-visheshana (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: parama-ārta-vat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: वत्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययीभाववत् क्रियाविशेषण (in the manner of one extremely distressed)

• sīdamānaḥ: sinking/collapsing
• sīdamānaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sad (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (शानच्), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-एकवचन

• vivṛtta-aṅgaḥ: with twisted limbs
• vivṛtta-aṅgaḥ: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vi-vṛtta-aṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-एकवचन; बहुव्रीहि: विवृत्तानि अङ्गानि यस्य सः

• veṣṭamānaḥ: writhing
• veṣṭamānaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: veṣṭ (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (शानच्), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-एकवचन

• gataḥ: having reached
• gataḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-एकवचन

• kṣayam: destruction/end
• kṣayam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-एकवचन

Context

Suffering from excruciating pain, sinking with his limbs twisting and writhing and plunging into death and destruction, with intense agony he uttered the following words with great difficulty:

FAQs

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

The verse foregrounds the moral weight of violence and its consequences: suffering arises when a grievous harm has occurred, even if unintended—preparing the ground for the dharmic reflection on accountability.

What is the narrative situation?

Daśaratha recalls the wounded ascetic youth, struck by an arrow, writhing on the brink of death, speaking with difficulty.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Truthful witnessing (satya) and remorse: Daśaratha reports the scene plainly, without minimizing the horror of what happened.