Shloka 16

रामक्रोधवर्णनम्

Lakshmana’s Counsel to the Enraged Rama

Devanagari script

शीलेन साम्ना विनयेन सीतां नयेन न प्राप्स्यसि चेन्नरेन्द्र।ततस्समुत्सादय हेमपुङ्खै र्महेन्द्रवज्रप्रतिमैश्शरौघैः।।।।

Transliteration

vīkṣamāṇaṃ dhanus sajyaṃ niśśvasantaṃ punaḥ punaḥ |

dagdhukāmaṃ jagat sarvaṃ yugānte ca yathā haram ||

Translation

അവൻ കെട്ടിയൊരുക്കിയ ധനുസ്സിനെ വീണ്ടും വീണ്ടും നോക്കി, ഉഗ്രനിശ്വാസങ്ങൾ വിടുകയായിരുന്നു; യുഗാന്തത്തിൽ ഹരൻ (ശിവൻ) പോലെ സർവ്വജഗത്തെയും ദഹിപ്പിക്കാൻ ആഗ്രഹിക്കുന്നവനെപ്പോലെ.

Word by Word

• śīlena: by good conduct
• śīlena: Karana (करणम्)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śīla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; उपायार्थे

• sāmnā: by conciliation
• sāmnā: Karana (करणम्)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sāman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; उपायार्थे

• vinayena: by humility
• vinayena: Karana (करणम्)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vinaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; उपायार्थे

• sītām: Sītā
• sītām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sītā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• nayena: by diplomacy
• nayena: Karana (करणम्)
• Type: Noun
• Root: naya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; उपायार्थे (policy/diplomacy)

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (सम्बन्धः)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय

• prāpsyasi: you will obtain
• prāpsyasi: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√āp (धातु)
• Form: लृट्, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• cen: if
• cen: Sambandha (सम्बन्धः)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: cet (अव्यय)
• Form: शर्तार्थक-अव्यय; 'cen' = 'cet' (if)

• narendra: O king
• narendra: Sambodhana (सम्बोधनम्)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक) + indra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (नराणाम् इन्द्रः)

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्धः)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, क्रमवाचक (then)

• samutsādaya: destroy/annihilate
• samutsādaya: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-ut-√sad (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• hema-puṅkhaiḥ: with gold-feathered (arrows)
• hema-puṅkhaiḥ: Karana (करणम्)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hema (प्रातिपदिक) + puṅkha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (हेमस्य पुङ्खाः येषाम्)

• mahendra-vajra-pratimaiḥ: with (arrows) like Indra's thunderbolt
• mahendra-vajra-pratimaiḥ: Karana (करणम्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahendra (प्रातिपदिक) + vajra (प्रातिपदिक) + pratima (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; उपमान-तत्पुरुषः (महेन्द्रवज्रस्य प्रतिमाः = like Indra's thunderbolt); 'śaraughaiḥ' इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• śara-oghaiḥ: with volleys/streams of arrows
• śara-oghaiḥ: Karana (करणम्)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śara (प्रातिपदिक) + ogha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (शराणाम् ओघाः = streams of arrows)

Context

O king! if you fail to get Sita through appeasement, through humility or diplomacy then you destroy (the three worlds) by your gold-tipped stream of arrows comparable to Indra's thunderbolt.ইত্যার্ষে শ্রীমদ্রামাযণে বাল্মীকীয আদিকাব্যে অরণ্যকাণ্ডে পঞ্চষষ্টিতমস্সর্গঃ৷৷Thus ends the sixtyfifth sarga of Aranyakanda of the holy Ramayana the first epic composed by sage Valmiki.

Characters & Entities

• Rāma
• bow (dhanuḥ)
• Hara (Śiva)
• yugānta (end of an age)

FAQs

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

Power without restraint becomes catastrophic; Dharma requires that even justified anger be governed by discrimination (viveka).

What is the narrative situation?

Rāma’s grief escalates into a near-cosmic fury, symbolized by his readiness with the bow.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

The implied virtue is temperance: the heroic capacity to pause, reflect, and act proportionately rather than impulsively.