Valmiki Ramayana 2.21.20: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 21, Shloka 20

अयोध्याकाण्डे एकविंशः सर्गः · Lakṣmaṇa’s militant counsel and Rāma’s dharma

based persuasion of Kausalyā

Spoken by Kausalya to RamaSetting: Ayodhyā (palace)

Devanagari script

भ्रातुस्ते वदतः पुत्र लक्ष्मणस्य श्रुतं त्वया ।

यदत्रानन्तरं कार्यं कुरुष्व यदि रोचते ॥२०॥

Recitation with translationValmiki Ramayana 2.21.20

Transliteration

bhrātus te vadataḥ putra lakṣmaṇasya śrutaṃ tvayā |

yad atrānantaraṃ kāryaṃ kuruṣva yadi rocate ||20||

Translation

पुत्रा, तुझ्या भाऊ लक्ष्मणाने जे सांगितले ते तू ऐकलेस। आता या विषयात पुढे जे करणे योग्य वाटेल, तुला रुचल्यास तेच कर।

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Word by Word

• bhrātuḥ: of (your) brother
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhrātṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pumliṅga, Ṣaṣṭhī, Ekavacana
• Role: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha

• te: your
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Ṣaṣṭhī, Ekavacana (enclitic)
• Role: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha

• vadataḥ: while speaking/of the one speaking
• Type: Verb
• Root: vad (धातु)
• Form: Śatṛ (शतृ) present active participle; Pumliṅga, Ṣaṣṭhī, Ekavacana; agrees with bhrātuḥ (genitive absolute-like qualifier)
• Role: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (genitive qualifier)

• putra: O son
• Type: Noun
• Root: putra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pumliṅga, Sambodhana, Ekavacana
• Role: Sambodhana

• lakṣmaṇasya: of Lakshmana
• Type: Noun
• Root: lakṣmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pumliṅga, Ṣaṣṭhī, Ekavacana
• Role: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha

• śrutam: has been heard
• Type: Verb
• Root: śruta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √śru धातु)
• Form: Kta PPP; Napumsaka, Prathamā, Ekavacana; impersonal passive sense ‘has been heard’
• Role: Kriyā (passive predicate)

• tvayā: by you
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tṛtīyā, Ekavacana
• Role: Karta (कर्ता; in passive construction)

• yat: what
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka, Prathamā/Dvitīyā, Ekavacana; relative pronoun introducing clause
• Role: Sambandha (relative)

• atra: here/in this matter
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atra (अव्यय)
• Form: Deśa-avyaya adverb ‘here/in this matter’
• Role: Adhikaraṇa

• anantaram: next/thereafter
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: anantara (प्रातिपदिक used adverbially)
• Form: Kāla-avyaya (adverb) ‘next/thereafter’
• Role: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa

• kāryam: what should be done
• Type: Noun
• Root: kārya (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √kṛ धातु)
• Form: Napumsaka, Prathamā, Ekavacana; gerundive (णीयत्/यत् sense) ‘to be done’
• Role: Karma (predicate nominal)

• kuruṣva: do (it)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: Loṭ-lakāra, Madhyama-puruṣa, Ekavacana; ātmanepada (कुरुष्व)
• Role: Kriyā

• yadi: if
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadi (अव्यय)
• Form: Conditional particle ‘if’
• Role: Sambandha (condition)

• rocate: is pleasing
• Type: Verb
• Root: ruc (धातु)
• Form: Laṭ-lakāra, Prathama-puruṣa, Ekavacana; ātmanepada; impersonal ‘it pleases’
• Role: Kriyā

Sandhi Notes

• bhrātuste = bhrātuḥ + te
• yatrānantaram = yat + atra + anantaram (t+a→tr)
• kuruṣva is imperative ātmanepada

Context

O my son! you have heard what your brother Lakshmana said and if it pleases you, do later what is to be done.

The teaching

Even in sorrow, right action is chosen through listening, discernment, and measured consent.

Duties in tension

• Rāma’s obedience to father’s command vs responding to Lakṣmaṇa’s protective impulse
• Acting swiftly vs acting with deliberation and propriety

Ethical theme

Practical ethics (kartavya-nirṇaya)

How it resolves

Procedural—discernment and consent (‘if it pleases you’)

For your practice

Cultivates mindful decision-making: pause after hearing counsel, then act without agitation.

Mood and themes

Rasa

Shanta (peace), with Karuna (compassion)

Mood

Measured, counseling, restrained

Themes

• Dharma
• Maryada
• Family duty
• Ethics
• Satya

Symbolism

Relationships

Cross references

Meter and recitation

Characters & Entities

• Kauśalyā
• Rāma
• Lakṣmaṇa

FAQs

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

It underscores deliberation and agency: after hearing counsel, one must choose the next action responsibly, aligning with dharma rather than impulse.

What is the narrative situation?

Kauśalyā turns to Rāma after Lakṣmaṇa’s speech, acknowledging he has heard it and inviting him to decide the appropriate next step.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Kauśalyā’s restraint and practical wisdom—she channels grief into a measured appeal for right action.