Shloka 29

दनु-शापकथा तथा सीताहरण-प्रश्नः

Danu’s Curse Narrative and Rama’s Inquiry about Sita

Devanagari script

विज्ञानं हि मम भ्रष्टं शापदोषेण राघव।।3.71.29।।स्वकृतेन मया प्राप्तं रूपं लोकविगर्हितम्।

Transliteration

vijñānaṃ hi mama bhraṣṭaṃ śāpa-doṣeṇa rāghava | sva-kṛtena mayā prāptaṃ rūpaṃ loka-vigarhitam ||

Translation

Oh Rāghava, por la falta nacida de una maldición, mi discernimiento se ha perdido; y por mi propio acto he obtenido esta forma que el mundo desprecia.

Word by Word

• vijñānam: knowledge
• vijñānam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vijñāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka, Prathamā, Ekavacana

• hi: indeed/for
• hi: Sambandha-bodhaka (सम्बन्धबोधक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: Nipāta (निपात), hetu/niścaya-bodhaka

• mama: my
• mama: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (अस्मद् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Ṣaṣṭhī, Ekavacana

• bhraṣṭam: lost
• bhraṣṭam: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (participial predicate)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhraṃś (भ्रंश् धातु)
• Form: Kta (क्त/PPP), Napumsaka, Prathamā, Ekavacana; predicate with vijñānam

• śāpa-doṣeṇa: due to the fault of a curse
• śāpa-doṣeṇa: Karaṇa/Hetu (करण/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śāpa-doṣa (शाप + दोष) (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Tṛtīyā, Ekavacana; hetu-bhāva (cause)

• rāghava: O Rāghava
• rāghava: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rāghava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Sambodhana, Ekavacana

• svakṛtena: by my own act
• svakṛtena: Karaṇa/Hetu (करण/हेतु)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sva-kṛta (स्व + कृत) (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka/Puṃliṅga, Tṛtīyā, Ekavacana; viśeṣaṇa of (karma) implied; ‘by one’s own deed’

• mayā: by me
• mayā: Kartṛ (कर्ता; agent in passive nuance)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (अस्मद् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tṛtīyā, Ekavacana

• prāptam: attained
• prāptam: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (participial predicate)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pra-√āp (आप् धातु)
• Form: Kta (क्त/PPP), Napumsaka, Prathamā, Ekavacana; predicate with rūpam

• rūpam: form
• rūpam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka, Prathamā, Ekavacana

• loka-vigarhitam: world-despised
• loka-vigarhitam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: loka-vigarhita (लोक + विगर्हित) (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka, Prathamā, Ekavacana; viśeṣaṇa of rūpam; ‘despised by the world’

Context

O Rama! due to the curse I have lost my wisdom. By my own deed, I have attained this form despicable to the world.

Characters & Entities

• Rama (Rāghava)
• curse (śāpa)
• Kabandha (implied)

FAQs

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

Personal accountability (karma-niyama): Kabandha attributes his degraded condition to his own actions and accepts consequences without shifting blame—an ethical stance aligned with dharma.

What is the narrative situation?

Kabandha explains to Rama that his present monstrous state and impaired discernment result from a curse triggered by his misconduct.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Responsibility and candor: confession of fault and recognition that actions bear fruit.