Shloka 64

लङ्कादाह-प्रचोदनं तथा वानर-राक्षस-समरारम्भः

The Burning of Lanka and the Outbreak of Battle

Devanagari script

दशनैर्हतकर्णाश्चमुष्टिनिष्कीर्णमस्तकाः ।।।।शिलाप्रहारभग्नाङ्गाविचेरुस्तत्रराक्षसाः ।

Transliteration

daśanair hatakarṇāś ca muṣṭiniṣkīrṇamastakāḥ | śilāprahārabhagnāṅgā vicerus tatra rākṣasāḥ ||

Translation

Dort taumelten die Rākṣasas umher: manchen waren die Ohren durch Bisse abgerissen, anderen der Schädel durch Fäuste zerschmettert, wieder anderen die Glieder durch Steinschläge zerbrochen.

Word by Word

• daśanaiḥ: with teeth
• daśanaiḥ: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: daśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Tṛtīyā, Bahuvacana; instrumental

• hata-karṇāḥ: with ears torn off
• hata-karṇāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: hata (कृदन्त; √han/हन्; past participle) + karṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Bahuvacana; tatpuruṣa: hatāḥ karṇāḥ yeṣām (ears struck/torn off)

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; conjunction

• muṣṭi-niṣkīrṇa-mastakāḥ: with heads smashed by fists
• muṣṭi-niṣkīrṇa-mastakāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: muṣṭi (प्रातिपदिक) + niṣkīrṇa (कृदन्त; nis+√kṝ/कॄ 'to scatter/crush'; past participle) + mastaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Bahuvacana; tatpuruṣa: muṣṭibhiḥ niṣkīrṇāni mastakāni yeṣām (heads smashed by fists)

• śilā-prahāra-bhagna-aṅgāḥ: with limbs broken by rock-blows
• śilā-prahāra-bhagna-aṅgāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śilā (प्रातिपदिक) + prahāra (प्रातिपदिक) + bhagna (कृदन्त; √bhañj/भञ्ज्; past participle) + aṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Bahuvacana; tatpuruṣa: śilā-prahāraiḥ bhagnāni aṅgāni yeṣām (limbs broken by rock-blows)

• viceruḥ: wandered/moved about
• viceruḥ: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi+√car (धातु)
• Form: Liṭ (लिट्; perfect), Prathama-puruṣa, Bahuvacana; 'moved about/wandered'

• tatra: there
• tatra: Deśa-adhikaraṇa (देशाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; adverb of place

• rākṣasāḥ: Rakshasas
• rākṣasāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rākṣasa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Bahuvacana; subject of viceruḥ

Context

The Rakshasas with ears bitten off by the teeth of the monkeys, skulls smashed with fists, and limbs broken with blows of rocks they moved about.

Characters & Entities

• Rākṣasas
• śilā (rocks)

FAQs

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

By portraying the bodily ruin caused by violence, the text implicitly teaches the cost of adharma and uncontrolled aggression; dharma aims at restraint and rightful order, not cruelty.

What is the narrative situation?

Close-quarters fighting intensifies; the Vānaras maul the Rākṣasas with bites, fists, and stones, leaving many wounded and disoriented.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Ferocity and tenacity in combat (dhairya/vīrya) among the Vānara fighters.