Ramayana — Bala Kanda, Sarga 59, Shloka 19

विश्वामित्रस्य शरणागति-प्रशंसा तथा वासिष्ठपुत्र-शापः

Visvamitra grants refuge; the curse upon Vasishta’s sons

Devanagari script

श्वमांसनियताहारा मुष्टिका नाम निर्घृणा:।विकृताश्च विरूपाश्च लोकाननुचरन्त्विमान्।।1.59.19।।

Transliteration

śva-māṃsa-niyatāhārā muṣṭikā nāma nirghṛṇāḥ | vikṛtāś ca virūpāś ca lokān anucarantu imān || 1.59.19 ||

Translation

彼らが無慈悲なムシュティカとして生まれ、犬の肉を食らい、醜く奇形となりて、これらの世界を彷徨わんことを。

Word by Word

• śva-māṃsa-niyata-āhārāḥ: whose diet is fixed as dog-flesh
• śva-māṃsa-niyata-āhārāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Qualifier of te)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śvan (प्रातिपदिक) + māṃsa (प्रातिपदिक) + niyata (प्रातिपदिक) + āhāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Bahuvrīhi (बहुव्रीहि; śva-māṃse niyata āhāraḥ yeṣām te), Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Bahuvacana

• muṣṭikāḥ: Muṣṭikas (a tribe)
• muṣṭikāḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject of anucarantu; predicate class-name)
• Type: Noun
• Root: muṣṭika (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Bahuvacana

• nāma: by name
• nāma: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Parenthetical)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nāma (अव्यय)
• Form: Saṃjñā-sūcaka-avyaya (Name-indicating particle/नाम)

• nirghṛṇāḥ: merciless
• nirghṛṇāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Qualifier of muṣṭikāḥ)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nirghṛṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Bahuvacana

• vikṛtāḥ: misshapen
• vikṛtāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vikṛta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Bahuvacana

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Samuccaya-avyaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)

• virūpāḥ: ugly/deformed
• virūpāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: virūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Bahuvacana

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Samuccaya-avyaya (Conjunction)

• lokān: worlds
• lokān: Karma (कर्म/Object of anucarantu)
• Type: Noun
• Root: loka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā, Bahuvacana

• anucarantu: let them roam/follow
• anucarantu: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: anu-car (चर् धातु)
• Form: Loṭ-lakāra (Imperative/लोट्), Prathama-puruṣa, Bahuvacana, Parasmaipada

• imān: these
• imān: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Qualifier of lokān)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: idam (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā, Bahuvacana; demonstrative pronoun used adjectivally

Context

"O Descendant of Ikshvakus, O child, welcome. I know you as highly righteous. O eminent among kings! fear not. I offer you refuge.

Characters & Entities

• Vasiṣṭha’s sons

FAQs

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

The verse frames moral downfall as a loss of human dignity across rebirths; ethically, it also serves as a warning about the destructive chain from insult to wrath to dehumanizing punishment.

What is the narrative situation?

The curse continues, detailing the form and condition of the offenders’ future births.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Implicitly, compassion (dayā) and restraint are the virtues absent here—highlighting what dharma requires to prevent such outcomes.