Valmiki Ramayana 5.58.149 — Sundara Kanda, Sarga 58, Shloka 149

सुन्दरकाण्डे अष्टपञ्चाशः सर्गः

हनुमद्वृत्तान्तकथनम्, सीताभिज्ञान-प्रदानम्, लङ्कादाह-वर्णनम्

Devanagari script

विभीषणेनैवमुक्तो रावणस्सन्दिदेश तान्।राक्षसानेतदेवास्य लाङ्गूलं दह्यतामिति।।।।

Transliteration

vibhīṣaṇenaivam ukto rāvaṇas sandideśa tān | rākṣasān etad evāsya lāṅgūlaṃ dahyatām iti ||

Translation

വിഭീഷണൻ ഇങ്ങനെ പറഞ്ഞതുകേട്ട് രാവണൻ ആ രാക്ഷസന്മാരോട് കല്പിച്ചു: “ഇവന്റെ വാൽ മാത്രം ദഹിപ്പിൻ—അതുമാത്രം.”

Word by Word

• vibhīṣaṇena: by Vibhishana
• vibhīṣaṇena: Kartr̥ (कर्ता/Agent in passive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vibhīṣaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन (Singular)

• evam: thus
• evam: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (क्रिया-विशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evam (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (adverb): ‘thus’

• uktaḥ: having been spoken to / addressed
• uktaḥ: Karta (कर्ता) (as qualifier)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु) + kta (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle); पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular); rāvaṇaḥ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• rāvaṇaḥ: Ravana
• rāvaṇaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rāvaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• sandideśa: commanded, instructed
• sandideśa: Kriyā (क्रिया/Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-diś (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular)

• tān: those (them)
• tān: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन (Plural) सर्वनाम

• rākṣasān: the demons
• rākṣasān: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rākṣasa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन (Plural); tान् इत्यस्य विशेष्य (apposition)

• etat: this
• etat: Karma (कर्म/Object) (content of command)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• eva: only, indeed
• eva: Avadhāraṇa (अवधारण/Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय (restrictive particle)

• asya: of him, his
• asya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Possessor)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन (Singular) सर्वनाम

• lāṅgūlam: tail
• lāṅgūlam: Karma (कर्म/Object) (of passive ‘be burned’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: lāṅgūla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• dahyatām: let it be burned
• dahyatām: Vidhi (विधि/Imperative injunction)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dah (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), कर्मणि प्रयोग (Passive); प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular)

• iti: thus
• iti: Vākyopasaṃhāra (Quotation marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: उक्त्यर्थक-अव्यय (quotative particle)

Context

'On hearing Vibhishana, Ravana instructed the demons to burn my tail.

Characters & Entities

• Vibhīṣaṇa
• Rāvaṇa
• Rākṣasa
• Hanumān
• Lāṅgūla (tail)

FAQs

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

Even when dharma restrains outright killing, adharma may still seek humiliation and cruelty—showing how partial compliance without righteousness remains ethically flawed.

What is the narrative situation?

Rāvaṇa shifts from execution to a punitive humiliation: burning Hanumān’s tail.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Vibhīṣaṇa’s influence as a restraining voice, though Rāvaṇa still chooses a cruel penalty.