Ramayana — Bala Kanda, Sarga 7, Shloka 6

अमात्य-गुणवर्णनम्

The Virtues of Daśaratha’s Ministers and the Order of Governance

Devanagari script

विद्याविनीता ह्रीमन्त: कुशला नियतेन्द्रिया: ।श्रीमन्तश्च महात्मानश्शास्त्रज्ञा दृढविक्रमा: ।।1.7.5।। कीर्तिमन्त: प्रणिहिता: यथावचनकारिण: ।तेज: क्षमायश:प्राप्ता स्मितपूर्वाभिभाषिण: ।।1.7.6।।

Transliteration

vidyāvinītā hrīmantaḥ kuśalā niyatendriyāḥ |

śrīmantaś ca mahātmānaḥ śāstrajñā dṛḍhavikramāḥ ||

kīrtimantaḥ praṇihitāḥ yathāvacanakāriṇaḥ |

tejaḥ-kṣamā-yaśaḥprāptā smitapūrvābhibhāṣiṇaḥ ||

Translation

Ils étaient instruits et disciplinés, honteux de l’injustice, habiles et maîtres de leurs sens; prospères, nobles d’âme, connaisseurs des śāstras et fermes dans la vaillance. Renommés et attentifs, ils agissaient selon leur parole; doués d’éclat, de patience et de renommée, ils parlaient avec courtoisie, précédant leurs mots d’un sourire.

Word by Word

• कुशलाः: skilled
• कुशलाः: विशेषण (of ते)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कुशल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन, पुंलिङ्ग

• व्यवहारेषु: in dealings
• व्यवहारेषु: अधिकरण
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्यवहार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/अधिकरण), बहुवचन, पुंलिङ्ग

• सौहृदेषु: in friendships
• सौहृदेषु: अधिकरण
• Type: Noun
• Root: सौहृद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सप्तमी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन, नपुंसकलिङ्ग

• परीक्षिताः: tested
• परीक्षिताः: विशेषण
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परि + ईक्ष् (धातु) → परीक्षित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle/क्त), प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन, पुंलिङ्ग

• प्राप्तकालम्: at the proper time
• प्राप्तकालम्: क्रियाविशेषण (Adverbial)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्राप्त + काल (प्रातिपदिक; प्राप्तकाल)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास: प्राप्तः कालः यस्य (appropriate time); द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative used adverbially/क्रियाविशेषण), एकवचन, नपुंसकलिङ्ग

• तु: but / indeed
• तु: सम्बन्धसूचक-अव्यय
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle)

• ते: they
• ते: कर्ता
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन, पुंलिङ्ग

• दण्डम्: punishment
• दण्डम्: कर्म
• Type: Noun
• Root: दण्ड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/कर्म), एकवचन, पुंलिङ्ग

• धारयेयुः: should impose / would apply
• धारयेयुः: क्रिया
• Type: Verb
• Root: धृ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन

• सुतेषु: even in (cases of) sons
• सुतेषु: अधिकरण (domain)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), बहुवचन, पुंलिङ्ग

• अपि: even
• अपि: समुच्चय
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle: even/also)

Context

The king (Dasaratha) had many friends. All the tributary kings were obedient to him. He killed his enemies with his might. There was no foe who was either superior to or equal to him. He ruled the world as Indra ruled the heaven.

Characters & Entities

• Daśaratha

FAQs

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

Public duty requires inner discipline: learning, self-control, truthfulness in action (doing as one says), and kṣamā (forbearance) are presented as ethical foundations for governance.

What is the narrative situation?

The narration expands from listing ministers and priests to describing the ministers’ character—why they are fit to support a righteous king.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Integrity and restraint: being true to one’s word, morally modest (hri), and courteous in speech.