Valmiki Ramayana 1.10.21: Bala Kanda, Sarga 10, Shloka 21

ऋश्यशृङ्ग-आनयनम्

Bringing Ṛśyaśṛṅga to Aṅga and His Marriage to Śāntā

Devanagari script

तानि चास्वाद्य तेजस्वी फलानीति स्म मन्यते ।

अनास्वादितपूर्वाणि वने नित्यनिवासिनाम् ॥२१॥

Recitation with translationValmiki Ramayana 1.10.21

Transliteration

tāni cāsvādya tejasvī phalānīti sma manyate |

anāsvāditapūrvāṇi vane nityanivāsinām ||21||

Translation

उसने वो फल खाए। वो इतना तेज था कि उसको लगा यह सच में फल हैं। जंगल में रहने वाले लोगों ने ऐसे फल कभी नहीं खाए थे।

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Word by Word

• तानि: those (things)
• तानि: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• च: and
• च: None (अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय

• आस्वाद्य: having tasted
• आस्वाद्य: Kriya (क्रिया-अनुबन्ध)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-स्वद् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त (absolutive), अव्यय

• तेजस्वी: the radiant one (Ṛśyaśṛṅga)
• तेजस्वी: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तेजस्विन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषणरूपेण नाम (the illustrious one)

• फलानि: fruits
• फलानि: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन; ‘इति’ इत्यस्य पूर्वपदम् (quoted content)

• इति: thus
• इति: None (अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उक्त्यर्थक-अव्यय (quotative)

• स्म: (in the past)
• स्म: None (अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्म (अव्यय)
• Form: भूतार्थ/वृत्तान्तसूचक-अव्यय (past narrative marker)

• मन्यते: thought; considered
• मन्यते: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मन् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present/लट्), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• अनास्वादितपूर्वाणि: not previously tasted
• अनास्वादितपूर्वाणि: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन-आस्वादित-पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (फलानि/तानि); समासः कर्मधारयः (पूर्वं अनास्वादितानि)

• वने: in the forest
• वने: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• नित्यनिवासिनाम्: of those who always live (there)
• नित्यनिवासिनाम्: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नित्य-निवासिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन; समासः तत्पुरुषः (नित्यं निवासिनाम्)

Context

The lustrous (Rsyasringa) who had never tasted any food other than what was offered by the permanent forest-dwellers mistook them for fruits.

Characters & Entities

• Ṛśyaśṛṅga
• forest (vana)
• fruits (phalāni)

FAQs

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

It illustrates how limited experience can cloud discernment; dharma is protected by right understanding (viveka), not merely by environment.

What is the narrative situation?

Ṛśyaśṛṅga, unfamiliar with refined foods, misidentifies the sweets and delicacies as ordinary forest fruits.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Purity and guilelessness—he interprets new experiences through a simple, ascetic frame.