Shloka 2

जटायुस्संवादः — Encounter with Jaṭāyu and the Genealogy of Beings

Aranyakanda 14

Devanagari script

तं दृष्ट्वा तौ महाभागौ वटस्थं रामलक्ष्मणौ।मेनाते राक्षसं पक्षिं ब्रुवाणौ को भवानिति।।3.14.2।।

Transliteration

taṃ dṛṣṭvā tau mahābhāgau vaṭasthaṃ rāmalakṣmaṇau |

menāte rākṣasaṃ pakṣiṃ bruvāṇau ko bhavān iti ||3.14.2||

Translation

ເມື່ອເຫັນນົກນັ້ນເກາະຢູ່ເທິງຕົ້ນໄຊ ພຣະຣາມ ແລະ ພຣະລັກສະມະນະ ຜູ້ມີບຸນຍາທິການທັງສອງ ເຂົ້າໃຈຜິດວ່າເປັນນົກຣາກສະ ແລ້ວຖາມວ່າ “ທ່ານແມ່ນໃຜ?”

Word by Word

• tam: him/that one
• tam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Singular

• dṛṣṭvā: having seen
• dṛṣṭvā: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dṛś (दृश् धातु)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वा), indeclinable; 'having seen'

• tau: those two
• tau: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Dual

• mahābhāgau: fortunate, noble
• mahābhāgau: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + bhāga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Dual; adjective qualifying 'rāma-lakṣmaṇau'

• vaṭastham: perched on a banyan
• vaṭastham: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vaṭa (प्रातिपदिक) + stha (√sthā)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular; 'standing on/in a banyan (tree)' qualifying 'pakṣiṃ'

• rāmalakṣmaṇau: Rama and Lakshmana
• rāmalakṣmaṇau: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rāma (प्रातिपदिक) + lakṣmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Dual; dvandva: 'Rama and Lakshmana'

• mēnātē: they thought
• mēnātē: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √man (मन् धातु)
• Form: Lakāra: Laṭ (present), Ātmanepada, Purusha: 3rd, Vachana: Dual; 'they thought/considered'

• rākṣasam: a demon
• rākṣasam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rākṣasa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular; predicate object with 'mēnātē'

• pakṣiṃ: bird
• pakṣiṃ: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pakṣin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• bruvāṇau: saying
• bruvāṇau: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √brū (ब्रू धातु)
• Form: Present active participle (शतृ), Masculine, Nominative, Dual; agrees with 'rāmalakṣmaṇau'

• kaḥ: who?
• kaḥ: Prashna (प्रश्न)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular; interrogative pronoun

• bhavān: you (sir)
• bhavān: Sambodhyam (सम्बोध्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhavat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular; honorific 2nd-person pronoun

• iti: thus
• iti: Vākyārtha-marker (इति-प्रयोग)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; quotative particle

Context

To Tamra were born, Krounchi, Bhasi, Syeni, Dhrutharashtri and Suki. Altogether they were five beautiful young maids famous in the world.

Characters & Entities

• Rāma
• Lakṣmaṇa
• vaṭa (banyan tree)
• rākṣasa

FAQs

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

Discernment and truthful inquiry: when faced with uncertainty, one should investigate directly rather than act rashly.

What is the narrative situation?

Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa notice a bird on a banyan tree, suspect it may be a rākṣasa in disguise, and question it.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Prudence (viveka): they seek clarification through questioning instead of immediate aggression.