Shloka 8

प्रमदावनविध्वंसः | The Devastation of the Pleasure-Garden

Ashoka Vatika

Devanagari script

कथं नु खल्वद्य भवेत्सुखागतं प्रसह्य युद्धं मम राक्षसैः सह।तथैव खल्वात्मबलं च सारवत्सम्मानयेन्मां च रणे दशाननः।।।।

Transliteration

kathaṃ nu khalv adya bhavet sukhāgataṃ prasahya yuddhaṃ mama rākṣasaiḥ saha |

tathaiva khalv ātmabalaṃ ca sāravat sammānayen māṃ ca raṇe daśānanaḥ ||

Translation

എനിക്ക് രാക്ഷസന്മാരോടൊപ്പം ബലമായി യുദ്ധം സഹിക്കേണ്ടിവന്നാൽ, ഇന്ന് എന്റെ വരവ് എങ്ങനെ സുഖകരമായും സുരക്ഷിതമായും മടങ്ങലായി തീരും? യുദ്ധത്തിലേ ദശാനനൻ തന്റെ ബലത്തിന്റെ സാരം—എന്റേതും—യഥാർത്ഥമായി അളക്കും.

Word by Word

• katham: how
• katham: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/interrogative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: katham (अव्यय)
• Form: Interrogative adverb (प्रश्न-क्रियाविशेषण)

• nu: indeed/then (question particle)
• nu: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nu (अव्यय)
• Form: Interrogative particle (निपात)

• khalu: surely/indeed
• khalu: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: khalu (अव्यय)
• Form: Emphatic particle (निपात)

• adya: today
• adya: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: adya (अव्यय)
• Form: Temporal adverb (काल-क्रियाविशेषण)

• bhavet: might be
• bhavet: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (भू धातु)
• Form: Optative (विधिलिङ्), Third person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular; Parasmaipada

• sukhāgatam: a happy/fortunate occurrence
• sukhāgatam: Karta (कर्ता/predicate)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sukha (सुख) + āgata (आ+गम् धातु, क्त)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular; predicate adjective to implied 'etat' (this); compound = 'pleasant + come'

• prasahya: by force/after enduring
• prasahya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pra+sah (सह् धातु)
• Form: Gerund/absolutive (क्त्वान्त/ल्यप्) used adverbially = 'having endured/forcing'

• yuddham: battle
• yuddham: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yuddha (युद्ध प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Singular

• mama: for me/my
• mama: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/for me)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (अस्मद् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Genitive (षष्ठी/6), Singular

• rākṣasaiḥ: with the rakshasas
• rākṣasaiḥ: Sahakari (सहकारी/सह)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rākṣasa (राक्षस प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental (तृतीया/3), Plural (बहुवचन)

• saha: together with
• saha: Sahakari (सहकारी)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: saha (अव्यय)
• Form: Preposition-like indeclinable (सह) governing instrumental

• tathā: thus
• tathā: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (क्रियाविशेषण) = 'thus/in that way'

• eva: indeed/just
• eva: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle (निपात)

• khalu: surely
• khalu: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: khalu (अव्यय)
• Form: Emphatic particle (निपात)

• ātma-balam: (our/my) own strength
• ātma-balam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ātman (आत्मन्) + bala (बल प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Singular; compound = 'one's own strength'

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction (समुच्चय)

• sāravat: substantial/weighty
• sāravat: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sāravat (सारवत् प्रातिपदिक/तद्धित)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Singular; adjective qualifying ātma-balam

• sammānayet: should respect/acknowledge
• sammānayet: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam+man (मन् धातु)
• Form: Optative (विधिलिङ्), Third person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular; Parasmaipada

• mām: me
• mām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (अस्मद् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Singular

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction (समुच्चय)

• raṇe: in battle
• raṇe: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: raṇa (रण प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Locative (सप्तमी/7), Singular

• daśānanaḥ: Daśānana (Ravana)
• daśānanaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: daśa (दश) + ānana (आनन प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular; bahuvrīhi = 'he who has ten faces' (Rāvaṇa)

Context

'How can I have enduring war with the ogres today? How will my visit to this place end in happy return? Only in a combat this tenheaded Ravana will guage his strength and mine!

Characters & Entities

• Hanumān
• Rākṣasas
• Daśānana (Rāvaṇa)

FAQs

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

Dharma includes fearless truth-testing: arrogance rooted in adharma is corrected only when reality is faced; Hanumān accepts danger so that true strength is revealed.

What is the narrative situation?

Hanumān anticipates confrontation; he sees that only direct conflict will compel Rāvaṇa to recognize the opponent’s power and take the vānaras seriously.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Fearless initiative: Hanumān is prepared to risk himself to advance the larger righteous cause.