Shloka 16

रावणदर्शनम्

Hanuman Beholds Ravana in Court

Devanagari script

भ्राजमानं ततो दृष्ट्वा हनुमान्राक्षसेश्वरम्।मनसा चिन्तयामास तेजसा तस्य मोहितः।।5.49.16।।

Transliteration

bhrājamānaṃ tato dṛṣṭvā hanumān rākṣaseśvaram | manasā cintayāmāsa tejasā tasya mohitaḥ ||5.49.16||

Translation

അപ്പോൾ ദീപ്തിയായി പ്രകാശിക്കുന്ന രാക്ഷസേശ്വരനെ കണ്ട ഹനുമാൻ, ആ തേജസ്സാൽ ക്ഷണനേരം വിസ്മിതനായി മനസ്സിൽ ആലോചിച്ചു തുടങ്ങി.

Word by Word

• bhrājamānam: shining/splendid
• bhrājamānam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhrāj (भ्राज् धातु)
• Form: शानच् (present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; 'shining'

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Kāla (काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; temporal adverb

• dṛṣṭvā: having seen
• dṛṣṭvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (दृश् धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund)

• hanumān: Hanuman
• hanumān: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hanumat (हनुमत् प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• rākṣasa-īśvaram: lord of demons
• rākṣasa-īśvaram: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rākṣasa (राक्षस) + īśvara (ईश्वर)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (राक्षसानाम् ईश्वरः = lord of demons)

• manasā: with (his) mind
• manasā: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: manas (मनस् प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन

• cintayāmāsa: began to think/pondered
• cintayāmāsa: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: cint (चिन्त् धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Periphrastic perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• tejasā: by splendour
• tejasā: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tejas (तेजस् प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन

• tasya: of him
• tasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (तद् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• mohitaḥ: bewildered/dazzled
• mohitaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: muh (मुह् धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; predicate adjective

Context

Seeing the splendour of the lord of demons, Hanuman was dimayed and started thinking thus:

Characters & Entities

• Hanumān
• Rāvaṇa (Rākṣaseśvara)

FAQs

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

Dharma requires discernment: one must not confuse dazzling power (tejas) with righteousness; reflection restores right judgment.

What is the narrative situation?

Hanuman, after seeing Ravana’s magnificence, pauses internally to assess what it means for the conflict.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Viveka (clear discrimination): Hanuman thinks carefully rather than reacting blindly.