Shloka 29

सीताया धर्मोपदेशः—शस्त्रसंयोगदोषकथा

Sita’s Counsel on Dharma and the Peril of Weapon-Association

Devanagari script

तदार्य कलुषा बुद्धिर्जायते शस्त्रसेवनात्।।3.9.29।।पुनर्गत्वा त्वयोध्यायां क्षत्रधर्मं चरिष्यसि।

Transliteration

tad ārya kaluṣā buddhir jāyate śastrasevanāt |

punar gatvā tv ayodhyāyāṃ kṣatradharmaṃ cariṣyasi ||

Translation

Entonces, oh noble, la mente se mancha por el constante trato con las armas. Al volver de nuevo a Ayodhyā, podrás cumplir el dharma del kṣatriya.

Word by Word

• tadā: then
• tadā: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, कालवाचक (temporal adverb)

• ārya: O noble one
• ārya: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ārya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन

• kaluṣā: impure
• kaluṣā: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kaluṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: विशेषण; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (qualifying buddhiḥ)

• buddhiḥ: mind/intellect
• buddhiḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: buddhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• jāyate: arises / is produced
• jāyate: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: jan (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद

• śastrasevanāt: from weapon-practice
• śastrasevanāt: Hetu (हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śastra + sevana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास: शस्त्रस्य सेवनम् (service/use of weapons); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (Ablative/5th), एकवचन

• punaḥ: again
• punaḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: punaḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, पुनरावृत्तिवाचक (adverb: again)

• gatvā: having gone
• gatvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त (absolutive/gerund)

• tvayodhyāyām: in Ayodhya
• tvayodhyāyām: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tava + ayodhyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अयोध्या (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), सप्तमी, एकवचन; 'tvayā' is sandhi artifact: त्व + अयोध्यायाम् → त्वयोध्यायाम्

• kṣatradharmam: kshatriya-duty
• kṣatradharmam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣatra + dharma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास: क्षत्रस्य धर्मः (duty of a kṣatriya); पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• cariṣyasi: you will practise
• cariṣyasi: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: car (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

Context

Righteousness brings wealth. Wealth brings happiness. Righteousness brings everything. In fact, the essence of the world is righteousness.

Characters & Entities

• Sītā
• Rāma
• Ayodhyā
• śastra (weapons)
• kṣatra-dharma

FAQs

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

Even justified power can corrupt the mind if indulged in the wrong setting; dharma includes guarding inner purity, not merely external correctness.

What is the narrative situation?

Sītā recommends postponing overt warrior conduct until Rāma returns to royal life, implying that the forest-exile context calls for ascetic restraint.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Self-restraint and mindfulness about how habitual violence affects one’s character.