Valmiki Ramayana 2.100.38 — Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 100, Shloka 38

शततमः सर्गः — Rāma Questions Bharata on Rājadharma

Governance, Counsel, and Public Welfare

Devanagari script

कच्चिन्न लौकायतिकान्ब्राह्मणांस्तात सेवसे।।अनर्थकुशला ह्येते बालाः पण्डितमानिनः।।।।

Transliteration

kaccin na laukāyatikān brāhmaṇāṃs tāta sevase | anarthakuśalā hy ete bālāḥ paṇḍitamāninaḥ ||

Translation

Mon cher enfant, puisses-tu ne pas fréquenter ces brahmanes aux pensées mondaines et sceptiques ; car, bien qu’enfantins, ils se croient savants et ne sont habiles qu’à semer le malheur.

Word by Word

• कच्चित्: I hope
• कच्चित्: Sambandha (सम्बन्धः) (discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कच्चित् (अव्यय)
• Form: Interrogative particle (प्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय), expressing hope

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (सम्बन्धः) (negator)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: Negation particle (निषेध-अव्यय): 'not'

• लौकायतिकान्: materialist / sophistic (laukāyatika)
• लौकायतिकान्: Karma (कर्म) (object of 'सेवसे')
• Type: Adjective
• Root: लौकायतिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया) Plural (बहुवचन); qualifying 'ब्राह्मणान्'

• ब्राह्मणान्: brahmins
• ब्राह्मणान्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया) Plural (बहुवचन)

• तात: dear child
• तात: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तात (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Vocative (सम्बोधन) Singular (एकवचन)

• सेवसे: you associate with / serve
• सेवसे: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सेव् (धातु) (आत्मनेपद)
• Form: Present tense (लट्), Atmanepada (आत्मनेपद), Second person (मध्यमपुरुष) Singular (एकवचन)

• अनर्थकुशलाः: skilled in causing harm
• अनर्थकुशलाः: Karta (कर्ता) (predicate of 'एते')
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनर्थ + कुशल (प्रातिपदिक; अनर्थकुशल) (समास)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा) Plural (बहुवचन); 'skilled in harmful things'

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (सम्बन्धः) (emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle (निपात): 'indeed/for'

• एते: these (people)
• एते: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा) Plural (बहुवचन)

• बालाः: foolish / childish (men)
• बालाः: Karta (कर्ता) (predicate)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बाल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा) Plural (बहुवचन); used as predicate noun

• पण्डितमानिनः: thinking themselves learned
• पण्डितमानिनः: Karta (कर्ता) (qualifier of 'एते')
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पण्डित + मानिन् (प्रातिपदिक; पण्डितमानिन्) (समास)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा) Plural (बहुवचन); 'considering themselves learned'

Context

Dear brother, I hope you do not serve those brahmins who are atheists, who foolishly think of this world alone and fancy themselves as learned. They only bring disasters.

Characters & Entities

• Bharata
• brāhmaṇa

FAQs

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

Choose counselors aligned with dharma and truth; wrong intellectual pride and cynical counsel can corrupt judgment and lead to adharma.

What is the narrative situation?

Rāma cautions Bharata about the influence of advisers, warning against association with harmful, self-styled ‘learned’ skeptics.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Viveka (discernment): the ability to distinguish genuine wisdom from pretended learning.