Ramayana — Bala Kanda, Sarga 58, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

प्रत्याख्यातो हि दुर्बुद्धे गुरुणा सत्यवादिना।तं कथं समतिक्रम्य शाखान्तरमुपेयिवान्।।।।

Transliteration

pratyākhyāto hi durbuddhe guruṇā satyavādinā | taṃ kathaṃ samatikramya śākhāntaram upeyivān ||

Translation

Ô esprit insensé ! Puisque le guru véridique t’a repoussé, comment as-tu pu le franchir et te tourner vers une autre branche, simple rejeton de la même lignée ?

Word by Word

• pratyākhyātaḥ: rejected
• pratyākhyātaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: prati-ā-√khyā (धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: Kta-participle, Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; predicative (he is refused)

• hi: indeed
• hi: Emphasis (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; particle

• durbuddhe: O foolish one
• durbuddhe: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dur-buddhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Karmadhāraya (कर्मधारय) ‘bad + intellect’; Puṃliṅga, Sambodhana (vocative), Ekavacana

• guruṇā: by the guru
• guruṇā: Kartṛ-karaṇa/Agent-instrument (कर्ता-करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: guru (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Tṛtīyā, Ekavacana

• satyavādinā: by the truth-speaker
• satyavādinā: Kartṛ-karaṇa (कर्ता-करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: satya-vādin (प्रातिपदik)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (कर्मधारय-like determinative) ‘truth-speaking’; Puṃliṅga, Tṛtīyā, Ekavacana; apposition to ‘guruṇā’

• tam: him/that (guru)
• tam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana

• katham: how
• katham: Prashna (प्रश्न)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: katham (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; interrogative adverb

• samatikramya: having overstepped
• samatikramya: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकाल-क्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sam-ati-√kram (धातु) + ktvā (क्त्वा)
• Form: Absolutive (क्त्वान्त), avyaya; ‘having transgressed/bypassed’

• śākhāntaram: another branch/line
• śākhāntaram: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śākhā (प्रातिपदिक) + antara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa ‘another branch’; Napumsaka, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana

• upeyivān: have approached/resorted to
• upeyivān: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: upa-√i (धातु) + ya (य) (periphrastic perfect/ppf)
• Form: Perfective past participial form (उपे-इवांस्), Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; used as finite-like ‘you have approached’

Context

'O Evil-minded one! having been refused by the Guru true to his word, how could you bypass him and approach us who are mere off shoots (of the main).

Characters & Entities

• Triśaṅku
• Vasiṣṭha (implied)
• guru
• satya (truth-speaking)

FAQs

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

Respect for guru-authority and lineage (paramparā): bypassing the guru after refusal is portrayed as an adharma-like transgression against established spiritual order.

What is the narrative situation?

Vasiṣṭha’s sons confront Triśaṅku after he seeks help elsewhere, criticizing him for disregarding the guru’s decision.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Fidelity to truth and discipline within tradition—at least as claimed by the guru’s household, insisting that the guru’s truthful word should stand.