Shloka 38

अक्षवधः (The Slaying of Prince Aksha)

Sundarakāṇḍa Sarga 47

Devanagari script

निहत्य तं वज्रिसुतोपमप्रभं कुमारमक्षं क्षतजोपमेक्षणम्।तमेव वीरोऽभिजगाम तोरणं कृतक्षणः काल इव प्रजाक्षये।।5.47.38।।

Transliteration

nihatya taṃ vajrisutopamaprabhaṃ kumāram akṣaṃ kṣatajopamekṣaṇam |

tam eva vīro 'bhijagāma toraṇaṃ kṛtakṣaṇaḥ kāla iva prajākṣaye ||5.47.38||

Translation

ഇന്ദ്രപുത്രസമാന ദീപ്തിയുള്ളതും രക്തസമാന ചുവന്ന കണ്ണുകളുള്ളതുമായ കുമാരൻ അക്ഷനെ വധിച്ച ശേഷം, ആ വീരൻ വീണ്ടും തോരണദ്വാരത്തിലേക്ക് ചെന്നു; പ്രജാക്ഷയകാലത്ത് കാലൻപോലെ ദൃഢനിശ്ചയത്തോടെ നിലകൊണ്ടു.

Word by Word

• nihatya: having slain
• nihatya: Kriya (पूर्वक्रिया; main-action modifier)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √han (धातु) + नि- (उपसर्ग); क्त्वा-प्रत्यय (absolutive/gerund)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (अव्ययकृदन्त/gerund), पूर्वकालिकक्रिया (prior action), सकर्मकधातु (transitive)

• tam: him
• tam: Karman (object of nihatya)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम (pronoun), पुंलिङ्गे (masc) / सामान्यलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (accusative), एकवचन (singular)

• vajrisutopamaprabham: radiant like the son of Indra
• vajrisutopamaprabham: Visheshana (qualifier of akṣam/kumāram)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vajri-suta-upama-prabhā (प्रातिपदिकसमूह: वज्रिन् + सुत + उपम + प्रभा)
• Form: समास (compound) = वज्रिसुतस्य उपमा यस्य सः/सा/तत् + प्रभा; विशेषण (adjective), पुंलिङ्ग (masc), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (accusative), एकवचन (singular); कर्मधारय-तत्पुरुष-प्राय (descriptive determinative)

• kumāram: the prince/youth
• kumāram: Karman (object; in apposition to akṣam)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kumāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masc), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (accusative), एकवचन (singular)

• akṣam: Aksha
• akṣam: Karman (object of nihatya)
• Type: Noun
• Root: akṣa (प्रातिपदिक; proper noun: Akṣa)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masc), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (accusative), एकवचन (singular); विशेष्य (head noun) of preceding adjectives

• kṣatajopamekṣaṇam: whose eyes were like blood (bloodshot-eyed)
• kṣatajopamekṣaṇam: Visheshana (qualifier of akṣam/kumāram)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṣataja-upama-īkṣaṇa (प्रातिपदिकसमूह: क्षतज + उपम + ईक्षण)
• Form: समास (compound) = क्षतजस्य उपमा यस्य ईक्षणम्; विशेषण (adjective), पुंलिङ्ग (masc), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (accusative), एकवचन (singular)

• tam: that (it)/him
• tam: Karman (object of abhijagāma)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम (pronoun), पुंलिङ्गे (masc) / सामान्यलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (accusative), एकवचन (singular)

• eva: indeed/only
• eva: Sambandha/Emphasis (particle modifying tam)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), अवधारणार्थक (emphatic/restrictive)

• vīraḥ: the hero
• vīraḥ: Karta (subject of abhijagāma)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vīra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masc), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (nominative), एकवचन (singular)

• abhijagāma: reached/approached
• abhijagāma: Kriya (main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: abhi-√gam (धातु) (गम्) ; लिट्-लकार (perfect)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (perfect), परस्मैपद (parasmaipada), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (singular); उपसर्ग: अभि-

• toraṇam: the gateway/portal
• toraṇam: Karman (object of abhijagāma)
• Type: Noun
• Root: toraṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (accusative), एकवचन (singular)

• kṛtakṣaṇaḥ: resolved/determined
• kṛtakṣaṇaḥ: Visheshana (qualifier of karta vīraḥ)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṛta-kṣaṇa (प्रातिपदिकसमूह: कृत + क्षण)
• Form: समास (compound) = कृतः क्षणः (कृतनिश्चय/कृतप्रयत्न-भावः); विशेषण (adjective), पुंलिङ्ग (masc), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (nominative), एकवचन (singular); कर्तृविशेषण (qualifier of vīraḥ)

• kālaḥ: Time/Death
• kālaḥ: Upamana (in simile with iva)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masc), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (nominative), एकवचन (singular); उपमान (standard of comparison)

• iva: like
• iva: Upama-dyotaka (simile marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iva (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), उपमार्थक (comparative: 'like/as')

• prajākṣaye: in the destruction of beings/people
• prajākṣaye: Adhikarana (locative: at the time/occasion of)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prajā-kṣaya (प्रातिपदिकसमूह: प्रजा + क्षय)
• Form: समास (compound) = प्रजानां क्षयः; पुंलिङ्ग (masc), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (locative), एकवचन (singular); अधिकरण (locus/occasion)

Context

Hanuman, the hero with blood-shot eyes having slain Aksha, shone resplendent like the son of Indra (Jayanta), and reached the portal, and waited looking like the god of death determined to destroy all beings.ityārṣē vālmīkīyē śrīmadrāmāyaṇē ādikāvyē sundarakāṇḍē saptacatvāriṅśassargaḥ৷৷Thus ends the fortyseventh sarga of Sundarakanda of the holy Ramayana, the first epic composed by sage Valmiki.

Characters & Entities

• Hanumān
• Akṣa
• Indra (Vajrin)
• Kāla (Death/Time)

FAQs

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

Dharma is steadfast commitment to a just mission: after victory, Hanumān does not fall into pride or distraction; he returns to the strategic point (the gateway), focused on the larger duty.

What is the narrative situation?

Immediately after killing Akṣa, Hanumān repositions himself at the gateway of the area, prepared to face further forces in Laṅkā.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Kṛta-niścaya (determination) and strategic composure—Hanumān’s resolve resembles Kāla, symbolizing inevitability against adharma.