Shloka 8

प्रमदावनविध्वंसः | The Devastation of the Pleasure-Garden

Ashoka Vatika

Devanagari script

कथं नु खल्वद्य भवेत्सुखागतं प्रसह्य युद्धं मम राक्षसैः सह।तथैव खल्वात्मबलं च सारवत्सम्मानयेन्मां च रणे दशाननः।।।।

Transliteration

kathaṃ nu khalv adya bhavet sukhāgataṃ prasahya yuddhaṃ mama rākṣasaiḥ saha |

tathaiva khalv ātmabalaṃ ca sāravat sammānayen māṃ ca raṇe daśānanaḥ ||

Translation

Bagaimana mungkin kedatanganku ke sini hari ini berakhir dengan kembali selamat dan bahagia, jika aku harus menanggung perang dengan para rākṣasa? Hanya dengan demikian, di medan laga, Daśānana akan menakar hakikat kekuatannya sendiri—dan juga kekuatanku.

Word by Word

• katham: how
• katham: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/interrogative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: katham (अव्यय)
• Form: Interrogative adverb (प्रश्न-क्रियाविशेषण)

• nu: indeed/then (question particle)
• nu: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nu (अव्यय)
• Form: Interrogative particle (निपात)

• khalu: surely/indeed
• khalu: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: khalu (अव्यय)
• Form: Emphatic particle (निपात)

• adya: today
• adya: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: adya (अव्यय)
• Form: Temporal adverb (काल-क्रियाविशेषण)

• bhavet: might be
• bhavet: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (भू धातु)
• Form: Optative (विधिलिङ्), Third person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular; Parasmaipada

• sukhāgatam: a happy/fortunate occurrence
• sukhāgatam: Karta (कर्ता/predicate)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sukha (सुख) + āgata (आ+गम् धातु, क्त)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular; predicate adjective to implied 'etat' (this); compound = 'pleasant + come'

• prasahya: by force/after enduring
• prasahya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pra+sah (सह् धातु)
• Form: Gerund/absolutive (क्त्वान्त/ल्यप्) used adverbially = 'having endured/forcing'

• yuddham: battle
• yuddham: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yuddha (युद्ध प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Singular

• mama: for me/my
• mama: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/for me)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (अस्मद् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Genitive (षष्ठी/6), Singular

• rākṣasaiḥ: with the rakshasas
• rākṣasaiḥ: Sahakari (सहकारी/सह)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rākṣasa (राक्षस प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental (तृतीया/3), Plural (बहुवचन)

• saha: together with
• saha: Sahakari (सहकारी)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: saha (अव्यय)
• Form: Preposition-like indeclinable (सह) governing instrumental

• tathā: thus
• tathā: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (क्रियाविशेषण) = 'thus/in that way'

• eva: indeed/just
• eva: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle (निपात)

• khalu: surely
• khalu: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: khalu (अव्यय)
• Form: Emphatic particle (निपात)

• ātma-balam: (our/my) own strength
• ātma-balam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ātman (आत्मन्) + bala (बल प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Singular; compound = 'one's own strength'

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction (समुच्चय)

• sāravat: substantial/weighty
• sāravat: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sāravat (सारवत् प्रातिपदिक/तद्धित)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Singular; adjective qualifying ātma-balam

• sammānayet: should respect/acknowledge
• sammānayet: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam+man (मन् धातु)
• Form: Optative (विधिलिङ्), Third person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular; Parasmaipada

• mām: me
• mām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (अस्मद् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Singular

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction (समुच्चय)

• raṇe: in battle
• raṇe: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: raṇa (रण प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Locative (सप्तमी/7), Singular

• daśānanaḥ: Daśānana (Ravana)
• daśānanaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: daśa (दश) + ānana (आनन प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular; bahuvrīhi = 'he who has ten faces' (Rāvaṇa)

Context

'How can I have enduring war with the ogres today? How will my visit to this place end in happy return? Only in a combat this tenheaded Ravana will guage his strength and mine!

Characters & Entities

• Hanumān
• Rākṣasas
• Daśānana (Rāvaṇa)

FAQs

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

Dharma includes fearless truth-testing: arrogance rooted in adharma is corrected only when reality is faced; Hanumān accepts danger so that true strength is revealed.

What is the narrative situation?

Hanumān anticipates confrontation; he sees that only direct conflict will compel Rāvaṇa to recognize the opponent’s power and take the vānaras seriously.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Fearless initiative: Hanumān is prepared to risk himself to advance the larger righteous cause.