Valmiki Ramayana 2.21.19: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 21, Shloka 19

अयोध्याकाण्डे एकविंशः सर्गः · Lakṣmaṇa’s militant counsel and Rāma’s dharma

based persuasion of Kausalyā

Setting: Ayodhyā (palace interior)

Devanagari script

एतत्तु वचनं श्रुत्वा लक्ष्मणस्य महात्मनः ।

उवाच रामं कौशल्या रुदन्ती शोकलालसा ॥१९॥

Recitation with translationValmiki Ramayana 2.21.19

Transliteration

etat tu vacanaṃ śrutvā lakṣmaṇasya mahātmanaḥ |

uvāca rāmaṃ kauśalyā rudantī śokalālasā ||19||

Translation

लक्ष्मण की यह बात सुन के कौसल्या रोई। वो बहुत दुखी थी। उसने राघव से बात की।

Ask anything about this verse...Ask

Word by Word

• etat: this
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana; demonstrative pronoun
• Role: Karma (कर्म)

• tu: then/but
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: Virodha/anuvṛtti-nipāta (तु) ‘but/then’
• Role: Nipāta

• vacanam: words/speech
• Type: Noun
• Root: vacana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana
• Role: Karma

• śrutvā: having heard
• Type: Verb
• Root: śru (धातु)
• Form: Ktvānta absolutive; ‘having heard’
• Role: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa

• lakṣmaṇasya: of Lakshmana
• Type: Noun
• Root: lakṣmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pumliṅga, Ṣaṣṭhī, Ekavacana
• Role: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha

• mahātmanaḥ: of the great-souled
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pumliṅga, Ṣaṣṭhī, Ekavacana; agrees with lakṣmaṇasya; karmadhāraya ‘great-souled’
• Role: Viśeṣaṇa (genitive qualifier)
• Compound: Karmadharaya

• uvāca: said
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: Liṭ-lakāra (लिट्, perfect), Prathama-puruṣa, Ekavacana; parasmaipada
• Role: Kriyā

• rāmam: to Rama
• Type: Noun
• Root: rāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pumliṅga, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana
• Role: Karma (कर्म)

• kauśalyā: Kausalya
• Type: Noun
• Root: kauśalyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)

• rudantī: weeping
• Type: Verb
• Root: rud (धातु)
• Form: Śatṛ (शतृ) present active participle; Strīliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; agrees with kauśalyā
• Role: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (state of agent)

• śokalālasā: grief-stricken
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śoka + lālasā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; tatpuruṣa ‘eager/longing for sorrow’ i.e., overwhelmed by grief; agrees with kauśalyā
• Role: Viśeṣaṇa
• Compound: Tatpurusha

Sandhi Notes

• etat tu = etat + tu
• vacanaṃ śrutvā (anusvāra before ś)
• mahātmanaḥ is genitive agreeing with lakṣmaṇasya

Context

Having heard the words of the magnanimous Lakshmana, Kausalya, depressed and weeping, said to Rama:

The teaching

In dharma-crisis, even the virtuous are shaken; compassion frames counsel and decision.

Duties in tension

• Rāma’s duty to obey father/royal decree vs duty to console/protect mother
• Kauśalyā’s maternal attachment vs acceptance of rājadhrama outcomes

Ethical theme

Family duty vs obedience to authority

How it resolves

Pending (scene transitions into Kauśalyā’s appeal)

For your practice

Karuṇā as a contemplative rasa: witnessing grief without hardening the heart; cultivating steadiness while honoring emotion.

Mood and themes

Rasa

Karuna (compassion), with Shanta (peace)

Mood

Weeping, heavy-hearted, maternal

Themes

• Itihasa
• Dharma
• Pathos (śoka)
• Maryada
• Satya

Symbolism

Relationships

Cross references

Meter and recitation

Characters & Entities

• Lakṣmaṇa
• Kauśalyā
• Rāma

FAQs

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

It foregrounds compassionate speech in crisis: dharma in family tragedy often begins with listening, restraint, and responding thoughtfully rather than escalating conflict.

What is the narrative situation?

After Lakṣmaṇa’s intense declarations, the scene turns to Kauśalyā, who—grief-stricken—now addresses Rāma.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Kauśalyā’s maternal anguish and sincerity, and the narrative’s emphasis on emotional truth within dharmic decision-making.