Shloka 22

विभीषणोपदेशः

Vibhishana’s Counsel to Ravana and the Catalogue of Omens

Devanagari script

तदेवंप्रस्तुतेकार्येप्रायश्चित्तमिदंक्षमम् ।रोचतेयदिवैदेहीराघवायप्रदीयताम् ।।।।

Transliteration

tad evaṁ prastute kārye prāyaścittam idaṁ kṣamam |

rocate yadi vaidehī rāghavāya pradīyatām ||

Translation

കാര്യങ്ങൾ ഇങ്ങനെ ഈ നിലയിലെത്തിയപ്പോൾ, ഈ പ്രായശ്ചിത്തം യുക്തമെന്നു തോന്നുന്നു: വൈദേഹിയെ രാഘവനു തിരികെ ഏല്പിക്കട്ടെ.

Word by Word

• तत्: that
• तत्: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; demonstrative pronoun

• एवम्: thus, in this way
• एवम्: Kriya-vishesana (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; manner-adverb (प्रकारवाचक)

• प्रस्तुते: when (it is) undertaken/commenced
• प्रस्तुते: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pra-stu (धातु) + prastuta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; locative absolute sense with कार्ये

• कार्ये: in the task/matter
• कार्ये: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kārya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन

• प्रायश्चित्तम्: atonement, expiation
• प्रायश्चित्तम्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prāyaścitta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• इदम्: this
• इदम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; demonstrative used adjectivally with प्रायश्चित्तम्

• क्षमम्: appropriate, fitting
• क्षमम्: Visheshya-predicate (विधेय-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṣama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; predicate adjective to प्रायश्चित्तम्

• रोचते: is agreeable/pleases
• रोचते: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ruc (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; ‘is pleasing/seems good’

• यदि: if
• यदि: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadi (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; conditional particle (शर्तसूचक)

• वैदेही: Vaidehī (Sītā)
• वैदेही: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vaidehī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• राघवाय: to Rāghava (Rāma)
• राघवाय: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rāghava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/चतुर्थी), एकवचन

• प्रदीयताम्: let (her) be given/handed over
• प्रदीयताम्: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-dā (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive); ‘let (her) be given/restored’

Context

"O great king! You may know that I am not telling like this out of my delusion or greed. You ought not to find fault with me."

Characters & Entities

• Vaidehī (Sītā)
• Rāghava (Rāma)

FAQs

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

Wrongdoing should be corrected through restitution: the ethical remedy for harm is to restore what was unjustly taken—here, returning Sītā to Rāma.

What is the narrative situation?

Vibhīṣaṇa proposes a concrete solution to avert disaster: end the offense by returning Sītā.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Moral courage and clarity—speaking the righteous course even when it is unwelcome.