Shloka 1

सप्तदशः सर्गः

Hanuman Beholds Sita in the Ashoka Grove

Devanagari script

ततः कमुदषण्डाभो निर्मलं निर्मलोदयः।प्रजगाम नभश्चन्द्रो हंसो नीलमिवोदकम्।।।।

Transliteration

tataḥ kumudaṣaṇḍābho nirmalaṃ nirmalodayaḥ |

prajagāma nabhaś candro haṃso nīlam ivodakam ||5.17.1||

Translation

അനന്തരം നിർമലോദയനായ നിർദോഷചന്ദ്രൻ തെളിഞ്ഞ ആകാശത്തിൽ സഞ്ചരിച്ചു—നീലജലത്തിൽ ഹംസം ഒഴുകുന്നതുപോലെ.

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then/thereafter
• tataḥ: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/temporal)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (कालवाचक-अव्यय)

• kamuda-ṣaṇḍa-ābhaḥ: lily-cluster-bright
• kamuda-ṣaṇḍa-ābhaḥ: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kamuda (प्रातिपदिक) + ṣaṇḍa (प्रातिपदिक) + ābha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन); बहुव्रीहि: 'kamudaṣaṇḍavat ābhā yasya saḥ' (having lustre like a mass of kumuda-lilies)

• nirmalam: clear
• nirmalam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nirmala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Singular (एकवचन); adjective to nabhaḥ (as object of prajagāma)

• nirmala-udayaḥ: rising spotless
• nirmala-udayaḥ: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nirmala (प्रातिपदिक) + udaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन); कर्मधारय: 'nirmalaḥ udayaḥ yasya saḥ' (having a spotless rise)

• prajagāma: went/reached
• prajagāma: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra + gam (धातु)
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)

• nabhaḥ: sky
• nabhaḥ: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nabhas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Singular (एकवचन)

• candraḥ: Moon
• candraḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: candra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन)

• haṃsaḥ: swan
• haṃsaḥ: Upamana (उपमान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: haṃsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन); upamāna for candraḥ

• nīlam: blue
• nīlam: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nīla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Singular (एकवचन); adjective to udakam

• iva: like
• iva: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iva (अव्यय)
• Form: Simile particle (उपमावाचक-अव्यय)

• udakam: water
• udakam: Upameya (उपमेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: udaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Singular (एकवचन)

Context

Then the Moon shining like a bed of lilies rose stainless, ascended the clear sky and looked like a swan swimming through blue water.

Characters & Entities

• Moon (Candra)
• Sky (nabhas)
• Kumuda (night-blooming lotus)

FAQs

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

While descriptive, the imagery supports Dharma thematically by associating purity and clarity (nirmalatā) with the moral atmosphere in which truthful action unfolds.

What is the narrative situation?

A transition into night: the poem sets the scene with the moon rising as events continue in Laṅkā.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

No single character virtue is foregrounded; the verse emphasizes aesthetic order and purity, reinforcing the epic’s moral contrast between clarity and corruption.