Shloka 41
The Origin of Rāvaṇa
यद्यहं भुवनं सर्वं वशेन स्थापयामि वै । तपोभिर्दुष्कृतैः कृत्वा ब्रह्मसंतोषकारकैः
yadyahaṃ bhuvanaṃ sarvaṃ vaśena sthāpayāmi vai | tapobhirduṣkṛtaiḥ kṛtvā brahmasaṃtoṣakārakaiḥ
ನಾನು ಸಮಸ್ತ ಭುವನವನ್ನು ನನ್ನ ವಶದಲ್ಲಿ ಸ್ಥಾಪಿಸಿದರೂ—ಬ್ರಹ್ಮನಿಗೆ ಸಂತೋಷಕಾರಕವಾಗುವ ಕಠಿಣ, ದುಷ್ಕರ ತಪಸ್ಸುಗಳನ್ನು ಮಾಡಿ—
Unspecified (verse appears mid-speech; speaker not identifiable from the single shloka alone)
Primary Rasa: vira
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Sandhi Resolution Notes: यद्यहम् = यदि + अहम्; तपोभिर्दुष्कृतैः = तपोभिः + दुष्कृतैः; ब्रह्मसंतोषकारकैः = ब्रह्म + संतोष + कारकैः (समास/सन्धि)।
FAQs
The verse sets up a conditional claim: even if one gains mastery over the whole world through severe austerities that please Brahmā, the speaker is preparing to make a further point about the limits or proper use of such power.
In Purāṇic idiom, intense tapas can win boons and recognition from deities; mentioning Brahmā highlights that the austerities are of a kind traditionally believed to earn divine satisfaction and confer extraordinary results.
It implies that worldly domination and spiritual accomplishments can coexist, but the verse’s conditional tone suggests that such achievements are not the final standard of right action; a higher moral or devotional criterion is about to be asserted in the surrounding context.