Ramayana — Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 117, Shloka 26

अत्र्याश्रमगमनम् तथा अनसूयोपदेशः

Arrival at Atri’s Hermitage and Anasuya’s Counsel

Devanagari script

प्राप्नुवन्त्य यशश्चैव धर्मभ्रंशं च मैथिलि।अकार्यवशमापन्नाः स्त्रियो याः खलु तद्विधाः।।।।

Transliteration

prāpnuvanty ayaśaś caiva dharmabhraṃśaṃ ca maithili |

akāryavaśam āpannāḥ striyo yāḥ khalu tadvidhāḥ ||

Translation

ಹೇ ಮೈಥಿಲಿ, ಅಕಾರ್ಯಕ್ಕೆ ವಶರಾದ ಆ ವಿಧದ ಸ್ತ್ರೀಯರು ಅಪಯಶವನ್ನೂ ಧರ್ಮಭ್ರಂಶವನ್ನೂ ಪಡೆಯುತ್ತಾರೆ.

Word by Word

• prāpnuvanti: obtain / incur
• prāpnuvanti: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √āp (धातु) + pra-
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (plural)

• ayaśaḥ: infamy
• ayaśaḥ: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: a-yaśas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन (singular)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• dharmabhraṁśam: fall from righteousness
• dharmabhraṁśam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharma + bhraṁśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (genitive determinative: 'of dharma'), पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन (singular)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• maithili: O Maithili (Sita)
• maithili: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: maithilī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (feminine), सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन (singular)

• akāryavaśam: under the sway of improper acts
• akāryavaśam: Hetu/Nimitta (हेतु/निमित्त)
• Type: Noun
• Root: a-kārya + vaśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (genitive determinative: 'under the control of unworthy acts'), पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन (singular); अव्ययीभावार्थे प्रयोगः (used adverbially: 'under the sway of')

• āpannāḥ: having fallen into / having come under
• āpannāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ā-√pad (धातु) → āpanna (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle), क्त (kta), पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative), बहुवचन (plural); स्त्रियः इति विशेषणम् (qualifies 'women')

• striyaḥ: women
• striyaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: strī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (feminine), प्रथमा (Nominative), बहुवचन (plural)

• yāḥ: who
• yāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (feminine), प्रथमा (Nominative), बहुवचन (plural); सम्बन्धबोधक (relative pronoun)

• khalu: indeed
• khalu: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: khalu (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चय/अनुनयार्थक अव्यय (particle: indeed/for sure)

• tadvidhāḥ: such (of that sort)
• tadvidhāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad + vidhā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (determinative: 'of that kind'), पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative), बहुवचन (plural); स्त्रियः इति विशेषणम् (qualifies 'women')

Context

O Sita, those women under the control of unworthy acts are dislodged from the pathof righteousness and get infamy.

Characters & Entities

• Anasūyā
• Sītā (Maithilī)
• Mithilā
• Dharma

FAQs

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

Actions contrary to duty (akārya) lead to both social and spiritual consequences: loss of reputation and deviation from dharma.

What is the narrative situation?

Anasūyā warns Sītā by describing the downfall that follows when one becomes controlled by improper impulses and actions.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Saṃyama (discipline) and adherence to propriety (aucitya) as safeguards of dharma.