Valmiki Ramayana 2.61.25 — Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 61, Shloka 25

कौसल्याविलापः

Kausalya’s Lament and Ethical Analogies on Kingship

Devanagari script

स तादृशस्सिंहबलो वृषभाक्षो नरर्षभः।स्वयमेव हतः पित्रा जलजेनात्मजो यथा।।2.61.25।।

Transliteration

sa tādṛśaḥ siṃhabalo vṛṣabhākṣo nararṣabhaḥ | svayam eva hataḥ pitrā jalajena ātmajo yathā || 2.61.25 ||

Translation

એવો સિંહબળવાળો, વृषભનેત્ર, નરર્ષભ શ્રીરામ—પોતાના પિતાએ જ માર્યો, જેમ જલચર માછલી પોતાનાં જ સંતાનનો નાશ કરે.

Word by Word

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा), Singular

• tādṛśaḥ: such
• tādṛśaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tādṛśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular; qualifying 'saḥ'

• siṃhabalaḥ: lion-strong, powerful like a lion
• siṃhabalaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: siṃha-bala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular; qualifying 'saḥ'; compound: siṃha (lion) + bala (strength)

• vṛṣabhākṣaḥ: bull-eyed
• vṛṣabhākṣaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vṛṣabha-akṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular; qualifying 'saḥ'; compound: vṛṣabha (bull) + akṣa (eye)

• nararṣabhaḥ: bull among men, best of men
• nararṣabhaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara-ṛṣabha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular; apposition to 'saḥ'

• svayam: by oneself
• svayam: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (क्रिया विशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: svayam (अव्यय)
• Form: Indeclinable (स्वयम्-अव्यय), reflexive adverb

• eva: indeed, just
• eva: Avadhāraṇa (अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: Emphatic particle (निपात)

• hataḥ: killed
• hataḥ: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √han (धातु) + hata (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त, PPP), Masculine, Nominative, Singular; used predicatively with implied 'asti'

• pitrā: by the father
• pitrā: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental (तृतीया), Singular

• jalajena: by a fish
• jalajena: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jalaja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular; compound: jala (water) + ja (born) = 'fish'

• ātmājaḥ: one's own offspring
• ātmājaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ātma-ja (प्रातिपदik)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular; subject of implied comparison clause

• yathā: as, like
• yathā: Upamāna-dyotaka (उपमान-द्योतक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: Comparative indeclinable (उपमा-अव्यय)

Context

Such Rama, the best among men, powerful like a lion, with eyes fierce like that of a bull has been destroyed by his own father just as the big fish destroys its own offsprings.

Characters & Entities

• Rāma
• Daśaratha

FAQs

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

The verse frames a father’s duty (pitṛ-dharma) as protective and life-sustaining; Kausalyā condemns Daśaratha’s act as a violation of that dharma, using a harsh simile to show moral inversion—one who should safeguard has become the cause of ruin.

What is the narrative situation?

After Rāma’s exile has been set in motion, Kausalyā, overwhelmed by grief, speaks bitterly to Daśaratha, blaming him for ‘destroying’ Rāma through his own decision.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Rāma’s excellence and strength are highlighted (nara-ṛṣabha, siṃha-bala), underscoring that even the most worthy can suffer when authority departs from dharma.