Valmiki Ramayana 2.21.10: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 21, Shloka 10

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

based persuasion of Kausalyā

Spoken by Lakshmana to RamaSetting: Ayodhyā

Devanagari script

निर्मनुष्यामिमां कृत्स्नामयोध्यां मनुजर्षभ ।

करिष्यामि शरैस्तीक्ष्णैर्यदि स्थास्यति विप्रिये ॥१०॥

Recitation with translationValmiki Ramayana 2.21.10

Transliteration

nirmanuṣyām imāṃ kṛtsnām ayodhyāṃ manujarṣabha |

kariṣyāmi śarais tīkṣṇair yadi sthāsyati vipriye ||10||

Translation

Wahai manusia terbaik, jika seluruh Ayodhya berdiri menentangmu dalam permusuhan, aku akan membuat seluruh kota ini kosong dari manusia dengan panah tajamku.

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Word by Word

• nirmanuṣyām: depopulated (of men)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nir (उपसर्ग) + manuṣya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Accusative (2nd), Singular; bahuvrīhi 'devoid of men' qualifying ayodhyām
• Role: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Compound: Bahuvrihi

• imām: this
• Type: Adjective
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular; agrees with ayodhyām
• Role: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)

• kṛtsnām: entire
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṛtsna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular; agrees with ayodhyām
• Role: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)

• ayodhyām: Ayodhyā
• Type: Noun
• Root: ayodhyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular
• Role: Karma (कर्म)

• manu-jarṣabha: O best of men
• Type: Noun
• Root: manuṣya (प्रातिपदिक) + ṛṣabha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular; 'bull among men'
• Role: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Compound: Tatpurusha

• kariṣyāmi: I shall make/do
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: Luṭ-lakāra (Periphrastic Future/परस्मैपदी भविष्यत्), Parasmaipada, 1st person, Singular
• Role: Kriyā (क्रिया)

• śaraiḥ: with arrows
• Type: Noun
• Root: śara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental (3rd), Plural
• Role: Karaṇa (करण)

• tīkṣṇaiḥ: sharp
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tīkṣṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural; agrees with śaraiḥ
• Role: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)

• yadi: if
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadi (अव्यय)
• Form: Conditional particle (शर्त-अव्यय)
• Role: Sambandha (सम्बन्धः)

• sthāsyati: will stand/remain
• Type: Verb
• Root: sthā (धातु)
• Form: Luṭ/Laṭ? here Simple Future (Lṛṭ/लृट्), Parasmaipada, 3rd person, Singular
• Role: Kriyā (क्रिया)

• vipriye: in opposition/against (you)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vipriya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Locative (7th), Singular; 'in hostility/when opposed' (locative of circumstance)
• Role: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)

Sandhi Notes

• śarais tīkṣṇaiḥ = śaraiḥ + tīkṣṇaiḥ

Context

O best of men, if the whole of Ayodhya stands against you I shall depopulate it with my sharp arrows.

The teaching

Loyalty without discernment can turn into adharma; true protection must be governed by restraint.

Duties in tension

• Fraternal loyalty/protection
• Kṣatriya restraint and protection of innocents
• Obedience to lawful royal order vs violent usurpation

Ethical theme

Krodha-niyama (governance of anger)

How it resolves

Unresolved in verse (threatening vow; later tempered by Rāma’s dharma)

For your practice

A cautionary mirror for sādhana: observe how anger arises even from love; practice kṣamā and viveka before action.

Mood and themes

Rasa

Raudra (fury), with Vira (heroism)

Mood

Incensed, protective, threatening

Themes

• Dharma
• Satya
• Kshatra-dharma
• Rage vs restraint
• Ethics

Symbolism

Relationships

Cross references

Meter and recitation

Characters & Entities

• Lakshmana
• Rama
• Ayodhya

FAQs

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

The verse dramatizes a conflict within dharma: protective loyalty and kṣatriya impulse to punish injustice, yet the epic’s broader ethic favors restraint and adherence to truth-bound duty over violent retaliation.

What is the narrative situation?

Amid the exile crisis, Lakshmana declares to Rama that he will destroy opposition in Ayodhya if the city turns hostile toward Rama.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Fierce loyalty and martial protectiveness—Lakshmana’s readiness to act for Rama, even excessively, highlights his unwavering devotion.