Valmiki Ramayana 2.20.37 — Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 20, Shloka 37

अयोध्याकाण्डे विंशः सर्गः

Rama Enters Kauśalyā’s Antaḥpura; Ritual Preparations and the Shock of Exile

Devanagari script

एक एव हि वन्ध्याया श्शोको भवति मानसः।अप्रजाऽस्मीति सन्तापो न ह्यन्यः पुत्र विद्यते।।।।

Transliteration

eka eva hi vandhyāyāḥ śoko bhavati mānasaḥ | aprajā asmi iti santāpo na hy anyaḥ putra vidyate ||

Translation

Car pour une femme stérile, mon fils, il n’est qu’une seule peine dans l’esprit : la brûlure de penser « je n’ai pas d’enfant » ; au-delà, nulle autre douleur ne s’égale à celle-là.

Word by Word

• ekaḥ: one
• ekaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: eka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular; qualifying śokaḥ

• eva: only
• eva: Sambandha/Avyaya (अव्यय-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: Emphatic particle (अवधारण)

• hi: indeed
• hi: Sambandha/Avyaya (अव्यय-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle (निपात)

• vandhyāyāḥ: of a barren woman
• vandhyāyāḥ: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vandhyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Genitive (6th), Singular

• śokaḥ: grief
• śokaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śoka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• bhavati: arises/is
• bhavati: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhū (धातु)
• Form: Laṭ (present), 3rd person, Singular, Parasmaipada

• mānasaḥ: mental
• mānasaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mānasa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular; qualifying śokaḥ (‘mental’)

• aprajā: without offspring
• aprajā: Pradhāna-viśeṣaṇa (प्रधान-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a + prajā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular; predicate adjective with asmi

• asmi: I am
• asmi: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √as (धातु)
• Form: Laṭ (present), 1st person, Singular, Parasmaipada

• iti: thus
• iti: Vākyārtha-dyotaka (वाक्यार्थ-द्योतक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: Quotative particle (इति-प्रयोग)

• santāpaḥ: anguish
• santāpaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: santāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular; in apposition/explanation of śokaḥ

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (प्रतिषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: Negation

• hi: indeed
• hi: Sambandha/Avyaya (अव्यय-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle

• anyaḥ: other
• anyaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular; qualifying (santāpaḥ/śokaḥ)

• putra: O son
• putra: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: putra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• vidyate: exists
• vidyate: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vid (धातु)
• Form: Laṭ (present), 3rd person, Singular, Ātmanepada; existential ‘is found/exists’

Context

O my son! a barren woman has only one mental agony that she has no progeny. Except that she does not have any other sorrow.

Characters & Entities

• Kausalyā
• Rāma

FAQs

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

Dharma is shown through truthful acknowledgment of lived suffering: Kausalyā articulates a culturally recognized pain (childlessness) to communicate the magnitude of her present grief without malice or accusation.

What is the narrative situation?

Kausalyā intensifies her lament by comparing her current anguish to the archetypal sorrow of childlessness, claiming this moment is worse.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Kausalyā’s candor and emotional honesty are emphasized, presenting grief as something to be voiced responsibly rather than turned into wrongdoing.