Shloka 4

सीताया धर्मोपदेशः—शस्त्रसंयोगदोषकथा

Sita’s Counsel on Dharma and the Peril of Weapon-Association

Devanagari script

मिथ्यावाक्यं न ते भूतं न भविष्यति राघव।।3.9.4।।कुतोऽभिलाषणं स्त्रीणां परेषां धर्मनाशनम्।

Transliteration

mithyāvākyaṃ na te bhūtaṃ na bhaviṣyati rāghava |

kuto 'bhilāṣaṇaṃ strīṇāṃ pareṣāṃ dharmanāśanam ||

Translation

ഹേ രാഘവാ! മിഥ്യാവാക്യം നിനക്കൊരിക്കലും ഉണ്ടായിട്ടില്ല; ഇനി ഉണ്ടാകുകയും ഇല്ല. അപ്പോൾ മറ്റുള്ളവരുടെ സ്ത്രീകളെ ആഗ്രഹിക്കുക എങ്ങനെ—അത് അവരുടെ ധർമ്മം നശിപ്പിക്കുന്നതല്ലോ?

Word by Word

• मिथ्या-वाक्यम्: false speech/lying
• मिथ्या-वाक्यम्: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मिथ्या (अव्यय) + वाक्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (negation particle)

• ते: of you
• ते: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Possessor)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्वद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी/चतुर्थी-एकवचन रूप (Genitive/Dative singular) ‘of you/to you’; अत्र ‘ते’ = ‘तव’ (genitive)

• भूतम्: has happened/been
• भूतम्: Kriya (क्रिया/Predicative)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भू (धातु) (कृदन्त; क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त: ‘has been/occurred’ (predicative)

• न: nor
• न: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध

• भविष्यति: will be
• भविष्यति: Kriya (क्रिया/Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• राघव: O Raghava (Rama)
• राघव: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन/Vocative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राघव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

• कुतः: how/whence
• कुतः: Hetu (हेतु/Interrogative cause)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कुतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रश्नार्थक (interrogative adverb) ‘whence/how’

• अभिलाषणम्: desire/longing
• अभिलाषणम्: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अभि+लष् (धातु) से अभिलाषण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• स्त्रीणाम्: of women
• स्त्रीणाम्: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्त्री (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन

• परेषाम्: of others’
• परेषाम्: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन; विशेषण (qualifying strīṇām)

• धर्म-नाशनम्: destruction of dharma/virtue
• धर्म-नाशनम्: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म (प्रातिपदिक) + नाशन (प्रातिपदिक; नश् धातु से)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘धर्मस्य नाशनम्’

Context

Lord, when we handle the weapon, the mind gets vitiated. (Only) after returning to Ayodhya can you perform the duty of a kshatriya.

Characters & Entities

• Sītā
• Rāma (Rāghava)

FAQs

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

Satya (truthfulness) is presented as an essential mark of Rāma’s dharma; from such truthfulness follows moral impossibility of violating another household’s virtue.

What is the narrative situation?

Sītā argues from Rāma’s established character: since he is unwavering in truth, he cannot be suspected of immoral desire that would ruin others’ dharma.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Rāma’s steadfast satya and moral integrity (śīla), understood as consistent across past and future.