Ramayana — Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 80, Shloka 21

मर्गनिर्माणम्

Roadworks and the Royal Route Prepared for Bharata

Devanagari script

जाह्नवीं तु समासाद्य विविधद्रुमकाननाम्।शीतलामलपानीयां महामीनसमाकुलाम्।।।।

Transliteration

jāhnavīṃ tu samāsādya vividhadrumakānanām | śītalāmalapānīyāṃ mahāmīnasamākulām ||

Translation

Reaching the Jāhnavī (Gaṅgā), whose banks held groves of many kinds of trees, whose waters were cool and clear, and which teemed with great fish, they arrived at the river’s side.

Word by Word

• visarpadbhiḥ: with (things) creeping/spreading
• visarpadbhiḥ: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vi-sarp (धातु)
• Form: शतृ (present active participle), तृतीया (3rd case), बहुवचन; पुं/नपुंसक-समासानुसार; उपमान-प्रयोगे साधन/सहभाव

• iva: like/as if
• iva: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iva (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमावाचक-अव्यय (comparative particle)

• ākāśe: in the sky
• ākāśe: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ākāśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th case), एकवचन

• viṭaṅka-agra-vimānakaiḥ: with peak-top mansions
• viṭaṅka-agra-vimānakaiḥ: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṭaṅka (प्रातिपदिक) + agra (प्रातिपदिक) + vimānaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd case), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष: 'विटङ्कस्य अग्रे (स्थितैः) विमानकैः' (with peak-top mansions)

• samucchritaiḥ: lofty/raised
• samucchritaiḥ: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sam-ud-śri (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), तृतीया (3rd case), बहुवचन; विशेषण to vimānakaiḥ

• niveśāḥ: dwellings/residences
• niveśāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: niveśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), बहुवचन

• te: those
• te: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• babhuḥ: became/appeared/shone
• babhuḥ: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• śakrapura-upamāḥ: like Indra's city
• śakrapura-upamāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śakra-pura (प्रातिपदिक) + upama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष: 'शक्रपुरस्य उपमाः'

Context

Those groups who were skilled in the construction of roads took up their places with every kind of tool and departed ahead of others.

Characters & Entities

• Jāhnavī (Gaṅgā)

FAQs

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

Respect for sacred geography: the Gaṅgā is approached as a life-giving, purifying presence, reminding one to treat natural and sacred waters with reverence and restraint.

What is the narrative situation?

The traveling party reaches the river Gaṅgā, described through its purity, abundance, and wooded banks.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Reverence and mindfulness—approaching a sacred natural space with awareness of its sanctity.