Valmiki Ramayana 2.31.12: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 31, Shloka 12

लक्ष्मणस्य वनानुगमन-प्रतिज्ञा तथा आयुध-संग्रहः

Lakshmana’s Vow to Follow Rama and the Retrieval of Divine Weapons

Spoken by Rama to LakṣmaṇaSetting: Ayodhyā

Devanagari script

अभिवर्षति कामैर्यः पर्जन्यः पृथिवीमिव ।

स कामपाशपर्यस्तो महातेजा महीपतिः ॥१२॥

Recitation with translationValmiki Ramayana 2.31.12

Transliteration

abhivarṣati kāmair yaḥ parjanyaḥ pṛthivīm iva |

sa kāmapāśa-paryasto mahātejā mahīpatiḥ ||12||

Translation

वो बड़ा राजा था, दुनिया को खुशी से भरता था जैसे बारिश धरती को भरती है। पर अब वो अपनी इच्छा के जाल में फंस गया है और गिर गया है।

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Word by Word

• abhivarṣati: showers upon
• Type: Verb
• Root: abhivarṣ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; उपसर्गः abhi-
• Role: Kriya (क्रिया)

• kāmaiḥ: with desires/boons
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (instrumental), बहुवचन
• Role: Karana (करण)

• yaḥ: who
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; relative pronoun
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)

• parjanyaḥ: Parjanya (rain-god/cloud)
• Type: Noun
• Root: parjanya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; subject of abhivarṣati
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)

• pṛthivīm: the earth
• Type: Noun
• Root: pṛthivī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन
• Role: Karma (कर्म)

• iva: like/as
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, simile particle (उपमा)
• Role: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)

• saḥ: he
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; demonstrative pronoun
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)

• kāma-pāśa-paryastaḥ: ensnared by the noose of desire
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kāma + pāśa + paryasta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण to mahīpatiḥ; समासः (कāma-pāśe paryastaḥ)
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Compound: Tatpurusha

• mahātejāḥ: mighty/brilliant
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā-tejas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण to mahīpatiḥ
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Compound: Karmadharaya

• mahīpatiḥ: lord of the earth/king
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahī-pati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समासः तत्पुरुषः (mahīyāḥ patiḥ)
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Compound: Tatpurusha

Sandhi Notes

• kāmairyaḥ = kāmaiḥ + yaḥ (visarga sandhi)
• mahātejā mahīpatiḥ = mahātejāḥ + mahīpatiḥ (visarga sandhi)

Context

Dasaratha, the mighty king like Parjanya (the rain-god), lord of the earth used to shower favours on earth. But now he is bound by the noose of passion.

The teaching

Sovereignty without self-mastery collapses; desire can bind even the radiant and powerful.

Duties in tension

• King’s duty to uphold justice and stability (rāja-dharma)
• Personal desire/attachment influencing decisions (kāma)

Ethical theme

Rāja-dharma and self-control (indriya-jaya)

How it resolves

Implicit moral diagnosis (warning)

Devotion and practice

Supports vairāgya and vigilance against kāma as inner bondage; reflective japa on self-restraint.

Deity praised

Parjanya (as simile, not worship)

Mood and themes

Rasa

Karuna (compassion), with Shanta (peace)

Mood

Tragic, reflective, warning-toned

Themes

• Dharma
• Ethics
• Kama vs Dharma
• Kingship
• Satya

Symbolism

Relationships

Cross references

Meter and recitation

Characters & Entities

• Daśaratha (implied by description)
• Parjanya (Indra as rain)

FAQs

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

The verse contrasts dharma-guided kingship (beneficence like rain) with the fall that comes from kāma (desire) when it binds judgment; ethical rule requires mastery over passions.

What is the narrative situation?

In discussing the crisis caused by Kaikeyī’s boons, Daśaratha is portrayed as once generous and powerful, now weakened by attachment and desire.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

By contrast, the implied virtue is self-control (dama) as essential to righteous leadership; the king’s lapse becomes a moral warning.