Ramayana — Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 57, Shloka 14

सप्तपञ्चाशः सर्गः

Sumantra’s Return to Ayodhya and the Palace’s Lament

Devanagari script

किं समर्थं जनस्यास्य किं प्रियं किं सुखावहम्।इति रामेण नगरं पितृवत्परिपालितम्।।।।

Transliteration

kiṃ samarthaṃ janasyāsya kiṃ priyaṃ kiṃ sukhāvaham | iti rāmeṇa nagaraṃ pitṛvat paripālitam ||

Translation

ព្រះរាមតែងគិតថា «អ្វីជាប្រយោជន៍ដល់ប្រជាជននេះ? អ្វីជាទីស្រឡាញ់? អ្វីនាំមកសុខ?» ដូច្នេះព្រះអង្គបានថែរក្សានគរដូចបិតា។

Word by Word

• किम्: what?
• किम्: Prashna (प्रश्न)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative/Accusative (प्रथमा/द्वितीया), Singular; interrogative pronoun used predicatively

• समर्थम्: effective; meaningful
• समर्थम्: Visheshana (विशेषणम्/predicate)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: samartha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular; predicate adjective ‘effective/meaningful’

• जनस्य: of the people
• जनस्य: Sambandha (सम्बन्धः/of)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Genitive (षष्ठी 6), Singular

• अस्य: of this
• अस्य: Sambandha (सम्बन्धः/of this)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Genitive (षष्ठी 6), Singular; pronoun

• किम्: what?
• किम्: Prashna (प्रश्न)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular; interrogative

• प्रियम्: pleasing
• प्रियम्: Visheshana (विशेषणम्/predicate)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: priya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular; predicate adjective ‘dear/pleasing’

• किम्: what?
• किम्: Prashna (प्रश्न)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular; interrogative

• सुख-आवहम्: bringing happiness
• सुख-आवहम्: Visheshana (विशेषणम्/predicate)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sukha (प्रातिपदिक) + āvaha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular; तत्पुरुषः (द्वितीया-तत्पुरुषः) ‘सुखम् आवहति’ = bringing happiness

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (सम्बन्धः/quotative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya, quotative marker

• रामेण: by Rama
• रामेण: Kartr-karana (कर्ता-हेतु/agent)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental (तृतीया 3), Singular

• नगरम्: the city
• नगरम्: Karma (कर्म/Object; with PPP)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nagara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

• पितृवत्: like a father
• पितृवत्: Kriya-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषणम्)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pitṛvat (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya, comparative adverb (उपमा-निपात) ‘like a father’

• परिपालितम्: protected; governed
• परिपालितम्: Kriya (क्रियाफल/PPP predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pari√pāl (धातु)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त), Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular; agrees with नगरम्

Context

Rama looked after his people like a father always thinking what was good for them, dear to them and comfortable to them.

Characters & Entities

• Rāma
• Ayodhyā (city, implied by 'nagaram')
• people of Ayodhyā

FAQs

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

Rāja-dharma as parental care: governance is measured by the people’s welfare (hita), legitimate satisfaction (priya), and well-being (sukha), not by the ruler’s self-interest.

What is the narrative situation?

Amid lamentation, the narration recalls Rāma’s style of protecting Ayodhyā—attentive to what truly benefits the citizens.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Vātsalya and responsibility in leadership: Rāma embodies the ideal protector, treating subjects as a father treats children.