Shloka 20

सीताहनूमद्भाषणम्

Sita Tests the Messenger; Hanuman Offers Reassurance

Devanagari script

अहो स्वप्नस्य सुखता याहमेवं चिराहृता।।।।प्रेषितं नाम पश्यामि राघवेण वनौकसम्।

Transliteration

aho svapnasya sukhatā yāham evaṃ cirāhṛtā | preṣitaṃ nāma paśyāmi rāghaveṇa vanaukasam ||

Translation

അഹോ! സ്വപ്നത്തിന്റെ സുഖം എത്ര! ഇത്ര നാളുകൾക്കുശേഷം രാഘവൻ അയച്ചതെന്നു പറയപ്പെടുന്ന വനവാസിയായ വാനരനെ ഞാൻ കാണുന്നതുപോലെ തോന്നുന്നു.

Word by Word

• अहो: ah!
• अहो: निपात (Exclamation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अहो (अव्यय)
• Form: विस्मयार्थक-निपात (exclamation)

• स्वप्नस्य: of a dream
• स्वप्नस्य: सम्बन्ध (Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वप्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन (Gen. sg.)

• सुखता: pleasantness
• सुखता: कर्ता (Karta/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुखता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (F Nom. sg.)

• या: which
• या: सम्बन्ध (Relative connector)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (Relative pronoun, F Nom. sg.)

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: कर्ता (Karta/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा, एकवचन (Nom. sg.)

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: क्रियाविशेषण (Adverb)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारार्थक-अव्यय

• चिराहृता: long carried away (by it)
• चिराहृता: कर्ता-विशेषण (Subject qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चिर (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक) + आ-हृ (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; 'long carried away/long deluded' (agreeing with अहम् understood as feminine speaker)

• प्रेषितम्: sent
• प्रेषितम्: कर्म-विशेषण (Object qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्र-इष् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; 'sent' (qualifying vanaukasam as 'one sent')

• नाम: indeed
• नाम: निपात (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नाम (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle: 'indeed/so-called/just')

• पश्यामि: I see
• पश्यामि: क्रिया (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, परस्मैपद, उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन (Present, 1st sg.)

• राघवेण: by Raghava (Rama)
• राघवेण: कर्ता (Karta/Agent of sending)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राघव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन (Instrumental sg.: 'by Rama')

• वनौकसम्: a forest-dweller (vanara)
• वनौकसम्: कर्म (Karma/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वनौकस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (वने ओकः यस्य/वने वसति); पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (Acc. sg.)

Context

"Oh! I have been seeing the person sent by Rama in my dream for a long time. This is a pleasant dream to me.

Characters & Entities

• Sītā
• Rāghava (Rāma)
• Hanumān (vanaukas)

FAQs

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

Dharma here is the struggle to hold to satya amid trauma: Sītā’s mind, long oppressed, hesitates to accept good news without certainty.

What is the narrative situation?

Sītā, shocked by sudden hope, suspects her experience may be a dream—an emotional defense after prolonged suffering in Laṅkā.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Sītā’s endurance (kṣamā/dhairya): even hope is approached cautiously because she has borne grief for so long.