Valmiki Ramayana 1.12.22 — Bala Kanda, Sarga 12, Shloka 22

द्वादशः सर्गः — Aśvamedha-saṅkalpa

Daśaratha resolves on the Horse Sacrifice

Devanagari script

गणिकास्तत्र गच्छन्तु रूपयौवनशालिनीः । प्रलोभ्य तमृषेः पुत्रमानयिष्यन्ति सत्कृतम् ॥

Transliteration

gaṇikāstatra gacchantu rūpayauvanaśālinīḥ | pralobhya tamṛṣeḥ putramānayiṣyanti satkṛtam ||

Translation

Dorthin sollen Kurtisanen gehen, reich an Schönheit und Jugend; den Sohn des ṛṣi verlockend, werden sie ihn hierher bringen und ihn ehrerbietig behandeln.

Word by Word

• gateṣu: when (they) had gone
• gateṣu: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण) (saptamī absolute)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: gam (गम्) (धातु) → gata (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: PPP (क्त) 'gata'; Neuter Locative Plural; with teṣu vipreṣu forms locative absolute

• teṣu: in/among those
• teṣu: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण) (within locative absolute)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pronoun used adjectivally; Masculine Locative Plural; qualifies vipreṣu

• vipreṣu: brahmins
• vipreṣu: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण) (saptamī absolute locus)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vipra (विप्र) (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Locative Plural; in locative absolute with gateṣu

• mantriṇaḥ: ministers
• mantriṇaḥ: Karma (कर्म) (object of visarjayitvā)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mantrin (मन्त्रिन्) (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative Plural (object-group, with tān)

• tān: them
• tān: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pronoun, Masculine Accusative Plural; refers to ministers

• narādhipaḥ: the king
• narādhipaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara + adhipa (नर + अधिप) (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative Singular

• visarjayitvā: having dismissed
• visarjayitvā: Kriyā (क्रिया) (prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi-sṛj (वि + सृज्) (धातु)
• Form: Gerund/Absolutive (क्त्वा): 'having dismissed'

• svam: his own
• svam: Karma (कर्म) (qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sva (स्व) (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter Accusative Singular; agrees with veśma

• veśma: palace/house
• veśma: Karma (कर्म) (destination with motion verb)
• Type: Noun
• Root: veśman (वेश्मन्) (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative Singular

• praviveśa: entered
• praviveśa: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-viś (प्र + विश्) (धातु)
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), 3rd person Singular, Parasmaipada

• mahāmatiḥ: great-minded
• mahāmatiḥ: Karta (कर्ता) (appositional qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā + mati (महा + मति) (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Karmadhāraya ('great-minded'); Masculine Nominative Singular; epithet of narādhipaḥ

Characters & Entities

• Rishyasringa
• Romapada

FAQs

Why was this strategy employed to bring Rishyasringa?

King Romapada's kingdom was suffering from a severe drought, and it was prophesied that only the presence of the chaste sage Rishyasringa could bring rain. Since the sage had never seen women, the ministers devised a plan to use courtesans to allure him and bring him to the capital to perform the necessary rites.

Does this verse imply deception?

While it involves 'alluring' (pralobhya), the verse explicitly mentions 'satkṛtam' (treated with honor/respect). The intent was not to harm the sage but to save the kingdom, balancing the ethical complexity of the means with the necessity of the King's duty (Rajadharma) to his subjects.