Shloka 26

मारीचाश्रमगमनम्

Ravana’s Journey to Maricha’s Hermitage

Devanagari script

तं समं सर्वतस्निग्धं मृदुसंस्पर्शमारुतम्।अनूपं सिन्धुराजस्य ददर्श त्रिदिवोपमम्।।।।

Transliteration

taṁ samaṁ sarvatasnigdhaṁ mṛdusaṁsparśamārutam |

anūpaṁ sindhurājasya dadarśa tridivopamam ||

Translation

അവൻ സിന്ധുരാജന്റെ (സമുദ്രത്തിന്റെ) അനൂപപ്രദേശത്തെ കണ്ടു—എല്ലാടവും സമതലവും സ്നിഗ്ധസൗന്ദര്യപൂർണ്ണവും, മൃദുസ്പർശമുള്ള കാറ്റുകൾകൊണ്ട് സുഖകരവും, ത്രിദിവംപോലെ ദിവ്യവുമായതു.

Word by Word

• tam: that
• tam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वितीया (Accusative/कर्म), एकवचन, पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग (context: anūpam)

• samam: level/even
• samam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वितीया, एकवचन, नपुंसकलिङ्ग; विशेषण to anūpam

• sarvataḥ-snigdham: smooth/pleasant all around
• sarvataḥ-snigdham: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarvataḥ (अव्यय) + snigdha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव ('snigdha all-around'); द्वितीया, एकवचन, नपुंसकलिङ्ग; विशेषण

• mṛdu-saṃsparśa-mārutam: a breeze of gentle touch
• mṛdu-saṃsparśa-mārutam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mṛdu (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃsparśa (प्रातिपदिक) + māruta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष-श्रृंखला ('breeze with gentle touch'); द्वितीया, एकवचन, पुंलिङ्ग

• anūpam: marshy backwater/lagoon-land
• anūpam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वितीया (Accusative/कर्म), एकवचन, नपुंसकलिङ्ग

• sindhu-rājasya: of the sea (king of rivers)
• sindhu-rājasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sindhu (प्रातिपदिक) + rāja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष ('king of rivers' = ocean/sea); षष्ठी, एकवचन, पुंलिङ्ग

• dadarśa: saw
• dadarśa: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dṛś (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/परोक्षभूत), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular)

• tridiva-upamam: heaven-like
• tridiva-upamam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tridiva (प्रातिपदिक) + upama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया-तत्पुरुष/उपमान-सम्बन्ध ('comparable to heaven'); द्वितीया, एकवचन, नपुंसकलिङ्ग; विशेषण to anūpam

Context

It was a veritable heaven with the plain land flooded with the back-waters of the sea and gentle breeze blowing.

Characters & Entities

• Rāvaṇa
• sindhu (sea)
• tridiva (heaven)

FAQs

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

The verse reinforces a Ramayana motif: the world can appear ‘heaven-like,’ yet dharma is determined by action and truth (satya), not by the pleasantness of surroundings.

What is the narrative situation?

As he proceeds, Rāvaṇa reaches a coastal/backwater-like tract described in exalted, heaven-comparing imagery.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

None explicitly; the focus is on the setting’s harmony, which in dharmic reading invites inner harmony—often absent in adharma-driven characters.