Valmiki Ramayana 5.48.35 — Sundara Kanda, Sarga 48, Shloka 35

इन्द्रजित्प्रेषणम्—ब्रह्मास्त्रबन्धः, हनूमद्ग्रहणं, रावणसभाप्रवेशः

Indrajit’s Deployment—Brahmāstra Binding, Hanuman’s Capture, Entry into Ravana’s Court

Devanagari script

ततो मतिं राक्षसराजसूनु श्चकार तस्मिन् हरिवीरमुख्ये।अवध्यतां तस्य कपेस्समीक्ष्य कथं निगच्छेदिति निग्रहार्थम्।।।।

Transliteration

tato matiṃ rākṣasarājasūnuś cakāra tasmin harivīramukhye | avadhyatāṃ tasya kapeḥ samīkṣya kathaṃ nigacched iti nigrahārtham ||

Translation

Da richtete der Sohn des Rākṣasa-Königs seinen Sinn auf jenen vornehmsten Helden unter den Affen; da er sah, dass dieser Kapi nicht getötet werden sollte, erwog er, wie er ihn bändigen und gefangen nehmen könne.

Word by Word

• ततः: then
• ततः: सम्बन्ध/कालाधिकरण
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; then

• मतिम्: a plan / intention
• मतिम्: कर्म (Karma/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• राक्षसराजसूनुः: the son of the demon-king
• राक्षसराजसूनुः: कर्ता (Karta/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राक्षस-राज-सूनु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (‘राक्षसराजस्य सूनुः’ = son of the demon-king)

• चकार: made / formed
• चकार: क्रिया (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (perfect), परस्मैपद; प्रथमा-पुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• तस्मिन्: in that (person)
• तस्मिन्: अधिकरण (Adhikarana/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; पुल्लिङ्ग/नपुंसक, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन

• हरिवीरमुख्ये: in the chief of the monkey-heroes
• हरिवीरमुख्ये: अधिकरण (Adhikarana/अधिकरण) (same locus as तस्मिन्)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हरि-वीर-मुख्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (‘हरिवीराणां मुख्यः’ = chief of monkey-heroes)

• अवध्यताम्: his invulnerability
• अवध्यताम्: कर्म (Karma/कर्म) (object of समीक्ष्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अ-वध्यता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; भाववाचक; ‘state of being unkillable’

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन

• कपेः: of the monkey
• कपेः: षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध
• Type: Noun
• Root: कपि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन

• समीक्ष्य: having considered
• समीक्ष्य: पूर्वकालक्रिया
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + ईक्ष् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund); ‘having observed/considered’

• कथम्: how
• कथम्: क्रियाविशेषण
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम् (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय (interrogative adverb)

• निगच्छेत्: might escape / might go away
• निगच्छेत्: क्रिया (Verb) (in quoted thought)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि + गम् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपद; प्रथमा-पुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; अर्थे—‘(he) might go away/escape’

• इति: thus
• इति: वाक्यचिह्न (Quotation marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण/वाक्यपरिसमाप्त्यर्थक-अव्यय (quotative)

• निग्रहार्थम्: for the purpose of capturing
• निग्रहार्थम्: प्रयोजन (Purpose adjunct)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निग्रह-अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; चतुर्थी-तत्पुरुष/उपपदभावः (‘निग्रहाय अर्थः’ = for the purpose of capture/restraint)

Context

Then Indrajit, son of the demon king, thinking that a vanara should not be killed started considering other means of catching hm.

Characters & Entities

• Indrajit
• Rāvaṇa (rākṣasa-king, implied)
• Hanumān (kapi, harivīra)

FAQs

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

Restraint in the use of power: even amid hostility, the choice shifts from killing to capturing—an implicit acknowledgment of limits and proportional response.

What is the narrative situation?

Indrajit decides that Hanumān should not be killed and therefore plans a method to seize him instead.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Strategic restraint (saṃyama) and buddhi: he seeks control over destruction, aiming to neutralize rather than simply annihilate.