Shloka 24

वाली–रामसंवादः

Rama’s Justification to Vali on Rājadharma

Devanagari script

गुरूर्धर्मव्यतिक्रान्तं प्राज्ञो धर्मेण पालयन्।।भरतः कामवृत्तानां निग्रहे पर्यवस्थितः।

Transliteration

gurur dharmavyatikrāntaṃ prājño dharmeṇa pālayan | bharataḥ kāmavṛttānāṃ nigrahe paryavasthitaḥ ||

Translation

Bharata, sabio y digno de veneración, gobierna conforme al dharma y permanece resuelto a refrenar y castigar a quienes, movidos por la lujuria, transgreden el dharma.

Word by Word

• guruḥ: the venerable one/elder
• guruḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: guru (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana

• dharma-vyatikrāntam: one who has transgressed dharma
• dharma-vyatikrāntam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dharma (प्रातिपदिक) + vyatikrānta (कृदन्त; vi-ati-√kram क्रम्)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana; samāsa: tatpuruṣa ‘dharmam vyatikrāntaḥ’ used as object of ‘pālayan’ (one who has transgressed dharma)

• prājñaḥ: the wise man
• prājñaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prājña (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; apposition to ‘guruḥ’

• dharmeṇa: by/with dharma
• dharmeṇa: Karaṇa (करण/Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Tṛtīyā, Ekavacana

• pālayan: while governing/protecting
• pālayan: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (क्रिया-विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √pāl पाल् (धातु)
• Form: Vartamāna-kṛdanta (Present active participle/शतृ), Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; agrees with ‘bharataḥ’/‘prājñaḥ’

• bharataḥ: Bharata
• bharataḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bharata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana

• kāma-vṛttānām: of those addicted to lust
• kāma-vṛttānām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāma (प्रातिपदिक) + vṛtta (कृदन्त; √vṛt वृत्)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Ṣaṣṭhī, Bahuvacana; samāsa: tatpuruṣa ‘kāme vṛttaḥ’ used collectively = ‘those of lustful conduct’

• nigrahe: in punishment/restraint
• nigrahe: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nigraha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Saptamī, Ekavacana

• paryavasthitaḥ: is firmly determined
• paryavasthitaḥ: Kriyā (क्रिया; predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pari-ava-√sthā स्था (धातु)
• Form: Kta (Past participle), Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; predicate of ‘bharataḥ’ meaning ‘is firmly resolved/established’

Context

'Wise Bharata being a respectable king rules by dharma. By the command of Bharata, we are bent upon punishing those who have strayed from dharma by being addicted to sensual pleasures.

Characters & Entities

• Rama
• Vali
• Bharata

FAQs

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

Good governance requires active restraint of desire-driven wrongdoing; dharmic rule is not passive tolerance but principled enforcement.

What is the narrative situation?

Rama continues his defense by invoking Bharata’s dharmic kingship as the normative standard for punishing moral transgression.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Bharata’s wisdom and firmness in rajadharma; Rama’s alignment with that standard.