Shloka 2.109.21

सत्यधर्मप्रतिपादनम् (Rama’s Defense of Truth and Dharma in Reply to Jabali)

Devanagari script

कायेन कुरुते पापं मनसा सम्प्रधार्य तत्।

अनृतं जिह्वया चाह त्रिविधं कर्मपातकम्।।2.109.21।।

Transliteration

kāyena kurute pāpaṁ manasā sampradhārya tat |

anṛtaṁ jihvayā cāha trividhaṁ karma-pātakam ||2.109.21||

Translation

First conceiving evil in the mind, one commits sin with the body and then speaks falsehood with the tongue—thus wrongdoing becomes threefold: in thought, in deed, and in speech.

Context

At first a man conceives an evil idea in his mind, then executes it through evil deed with his body and tells a lie through his tongue. Thus sinful action is three dimensional (mental, physical and vocal).

Characters & Entities

• Anṛta (falsehood)
• Manas (mind)
• Kāya (body)
• Jihvā (tongue/speech)

FAQs

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

Ethical discipline must cover thought, action, and speech; satya requires inner purity, not only outward compliance.

What is the narrative situation?

Rāma explains why compromising truth is not a small matter: it spreads across the whole moral personality.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Self-restraint (saṁyama) across mind, body, and speech.