Home›Ramayana›Ayodhya Kanda›Sarga 38›Shloka 7
←Previous Verse
Next Verse→

Shloka 7

अयोध्याकाण्डे अष्टत्रिंशः सर्गः

Sita in Bark Garments; Public Outcry and Dasaratha’s Lament

Devanagari script

अजीवनार्हेण मया नृशंसाकृता प्रतिज्ञा नियमेन तावत्।तवया हि बाल्यात् प्रतिपन्नमेतत्तन्मां दहेद्वेणुमिवात्मपुष्पम्।।।।

Transliteration

ajīvanārheṇa mayā nṛśaṃsākṛtā pratijñā niyamena tāvat | tvayā hi bālyāt pratipannam etat tan māṃ dahed veṇum ivātmapuṣpam ||

Translation

വ്രതനിയമത്തിൽ ബന്ധിതമായ ഈ ക്രൂരപ്രതിജ്ഞയാൽ ഞാൻ എന്നെ ജീവിക്കാൻ അയോഗ്യനാക്കി. ബാലഹഠത്തോടെ നീ തന്നെയെടുത്തുവെച്ചത് ഇപ്പോൾ എന്നെ ദഹിപ്പിക്കുന്നു—തന്റെ തന്നെ പൂക്കളാൽ മുളമ്പാമ്പ് ചുട്ടുപോകുന്നതുപോലെ.

Word by Word
अजीवनार्हेणby/with (something) unfit for living
अजीवनार्हेण:
करण (Instrument/means)
TypeAdjective
Rootअ-जीवन-अर्ह (प्रातिपदिकम्: अजीवनार्ह)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्गे तृतीया-विभक्तिः एकवचनम् (Instrumental singular, neuter); नञ्-तत्पुरुषः: अजीवनम् + अर्हः = अजीवनार्हः
मयाby me
मया:
कर्तृ (Agent)
TypeNoun
Rootअस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिकम्)
Formतृतीया-विभक्तिः एकवचनम् (Instrumental singular); उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम
नृशंसाकृताcruelly made
नृशंसाकृता:
विशेषणम् (Qualifier of प्रतिज्ञा)
TypeAdjective
Rootनृशंस + कृ (धातु) → कृता (कृदन्तः, क्त-प्रत्ययः); समासः: नृशंसा + कृता
Formस्त्रीलिङ्गे प्रथमा-विभक्तिः एकवचनम् (Nominative singular, feminine); क्त-प्रत्ययान्त-भूतकर्मणि/भूतकृत् (past passive participle) ‘कृता’
प्रतिज्ञाpromise, vow
प्रतिज्ञा:
कर्तृ/विषय (Subject)
TypeNoun
Rootप्रतिज्ञा (प्रातिपदिकम्)
Formस्त्रीलिङ्गे प्रथमा-विभक्तिः एकवचनम् (Nominative singular, feminine)
नियमेनwith a rule/vow, by a binding observance
नियमेन:
करण (Instrument/means)
TypeNoun
Rootनियम (प्रातिपदिकम्)
Formपुंलिङ्गे तृतीया-विभक्तिः एकवचनम् (Instrumental singular, masculine)
तावत्so far; at least; for the present
तावत्:
सम्बन्ध/अव्ययार्थ (Adverbial modifier)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootतावत् (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिकम्)
Formअव्ययम् (particle/adverb); अर्थे: ‘तावन्मात्रम्/एतावता’ = ‘so far/at least/for the present’
त्वयाby you
त्वया:
कर्तृ (Agent) (प्रतिपन्नम् इत्यस्य कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootयुष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिकम्)
Formतृतीया-विभक्तिः एकवचनम् (Instrumental singular); मध्यमपुरुष-सर्वनाम
हिindeed; for
हि:
सम्बन्ध/अव्ययार्थ (Emphasis/causal particle)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootहि (अव्ययम्)
Formअव्ययम् (particle); निश्चय/कारणार्थे (indeed/for)
बाल्यात्from childishness; out of folly
बाल्यात्:
अपादान (Source/cause: ‘from/out of’)
TypeNoun
Rootबाल्य (प्रातिपदिकम्)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्गे पञ्चमी-विभक्तिः एकवचनम् (Ablative singular, neuter)
प्रतिपन्नम्accepted; undertaken
प्रतिपन्नम्:
क्रियाविशेषण/विधेय (Predicative participle with एतत्)
TypeVerb
Rootप्रति + पद् (धातु) → प्रतिपन्न (कृदन्तः, क्त-प्रत्ययः)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा-विभक्तिः एकवचनम् (Nominative singular, neuter); क्त-प्रत्ययान्त-भूतकर्मणि (past passive participle) — ‘accepted/undertaken’
एतत्this
एतत्:
कर्तृ/विषय (Subject of प्रतिपन्नम्)
TypeNoun
Rootएतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिकम्)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा-विभक्तिः एकवचनम् (Nominative singular, neuter)
तत्that (promise/act)
तत्:
कर्तृ/विषय (Subject of दहेत्)
TypeNoun
Rootतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिकम्)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा-विभक्तिः एकवचनम् (Nominative singular, neuter); अन्वयः: ‘तत् (एतत् प्रतिज्ञारूपम्)’
माम्me
माम्:
कर्म (Object)
TypeNoun
Rootअस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिकम्)
Formद्वितीया-विभक्तिः एकवचनम् (Accusative singular)
दहेत्should burn
दहेत्:
क्रिया (Action)
TypeVerb
Rootदह् (धातुः) (परस्मैपदी)
Formविधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम् (3rd person singular); परस्मैपदम्
वेणुम्bamboo
वेणुम्:
उपमान (Standard of comparison)
TypeNoun
Rootवेणु (प्रातिपदिकम्)
Formपुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया-विभक्तिः एकवचनम् (Accusative singular, masculine)
इवlike
इव:
सम्बन्ध/अव्ययार्थ (Comparison marker)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootइव (अव्ययम्)
Formअव्ययम् (particle); उपमायाम् (comparative ‘like/as’)
आत्मपुष्पम्its own flower
आत्मपुष्पम्:
उपमेय-विशेषण/उपमानोपपद (Qualifier within simile: ‘with its own flower’)
TypeNoun
Rootआत्मन् + पुष्प (प्रातिपदिके) → आत्मपुष्प
Formनपुंसकलिङ्गे द्वितीया-विभक्तिः एकवचनम् (Accusative singular, neuter); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: आत्मनः पुष्पम् = ‘its own flower’
Context

By giving this cruel promise through importunity, I have rendered myself unfit to live. This promise was made as a child's play and it (now) destroys me like a bamboo destroyed by its own flowers.

Characters & Entities
D
Daśaratha
K
Kaikeyī

FAQs

Dharma highlights the danger of vows made without wisdom: truth-binding promises must be guided by discernment (viveka), or they become instruments of harm.

Daśaratha laments that the boon-promise extracted by Kaikeyī now destroys him inwardly, even though he remains bound to keep it.

A painful commitment to satya (truth-keeping) is implied, alongside Daśaratha’s recognition of his own failure of judgment.

←Previous Verse
Next Verse→