Shloka 4

हनूमद्

दूत्यम् / Hanuman’s Mediation and Lakshmana’s Appeal to Sugriva

Devanagari script

किमिर्थं त्वं वनं घोरं पम्पाकाननमण्डितम्।आगतस्सानुजो दुर्गं नानाव्याळमृगायुतम्।।

Transliteration

kim arthaṃ tvaṃ vanaṃ ghoraṃ pampākānanamaṇḍitam | āgatas sānujo durgaṃ nānāvyāḷamṛgāyutam ||

Translation

¿Con qué propósito has venido—junto con tu hermano—a este bosque terrible y de difícil acceso, adornado por las arboledas de Pampā, poblado de muchas clases de serpientes y fieras?

Word by Word

• kim: why
• kim: Prashna (प्रश्न)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (interrogative particle) used with ‘artham’: ‘why?’

• artham: reason/purpose
• artham: Hetu (हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: artha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative (द्वितीया 2), Singular (एकवचन); in idiom ‘kim artham’ = ‘for what reason’

• tvam: you
• tvam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Second person pronoun; Nominative (प्रथमा 1), Singular (एकवचन)

• vanam: forest
• vanam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (द्वितीया 2), Singular (एकवचन)

• ghoram: terrible/dreadful
• ghoram: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ghora (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (द्वितीया 2), Singular (एकवचन); qualifies ‘vanam’

• pampā-kānana-maṇḍitam: adorned with the groves of Pampā
• pampā-kānana-maṇḍitam: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pampā (प्रातिपदिक) + kānana (प्रातिपदिक) + maṇḍita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (locative/association sense): ‘adorned with the Pampā-grove’; Neuter, Accusative (द्वितीया 2), Singular (एकवचन); qualifies ‘vanam’

• āgataḥ: have come
• āgataḥ: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-gam (धातु) > āgata (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कृदन्त (past passive participle/क्त) used predicatively: Masculine, Nominative (प्रथमा 1), Singular (एकवचन)

• sa-anujaḥ: together with (your) younger brother
• sa-anujaḥ: Sahakāraka (सहकारक)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sa (अव्यय) + anuja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास: ‘with (your) younger brother’; Masculine, Nominative (प्रथमा 1), Singular (एकवचन); qualifies subject ‘tvam’

• durgam: inaccessible
• durgam: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: durga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (द्वितीया 2), Singular (एकवचन); qualifies ‘vanam’

• nānā-vyāḷa-mṛga-āyutam: filled with many kinds of serpents and wild animals
• nānā-vyāḷa-mṛga-āyutam: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nānā (अव्यय) + vyāḷa (प्रातिपदिक) + mṛga (प्रातिपदिक) + āyuta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (descriptive): ‘having multitudes of various serpents and beasts’; Neuter, Accusative (द्वितीया 2), Singular (एकवचन); qualifies ‘vanam’

Context

'Why have you come with your brother to this dreadful, inaccessible forest surrounding Pampa, full of different varieties of serpents and wild animals?'

Characters & Entities

• Pampā (lake/region)
• Rāma (implied addressee)
• Lakṣmaṇa (as brother)

FAQs

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

Responsible inquiry: before forming alliances or offering help, one should ask truthful, safety-oriented questions to understand intent and context.

What is the narrative situation?

Hanumān approaches the two princes near Pampā and questions their presence in a perilous forest.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Hanumān’s discernment and protective caution on behalf of Sugrīva.