Ramayana — Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 41, Shloka 20

अयोध्यायाः शोकप्रकम्पः

Ayodhya’s Tremor of Grief and Omens

Devanagari script

ये तु रामस्य सुहृद स्सर्वे ते मूढचेतसः।शोकभारेण चाक्रान्ता श्शयनं न जहुस्तदा।।2.41.20।।

Transliteration

ye tu rāmasya suhṛdaḥ sarve te mūḍhacetasaḥ | śokabhāreṇa cākrāntāḥ śayanaṃ na jahus tadā || 2.41.20 ||

Translation

ਰਾਮ ਦੇ ਜਿਹੜੇ ਸਾਰੇ ਸੁਹਿਰਦ ਸਨ, ਉਹ ਸਭ ਮੂੜ੍ਹ-ਚਿੱਤ ਹੋ ਕੇ ਸ਼ੋਕ ਦੇ ਭਾਰ ਨਾਲ ਦਬ ਗਏ; ਉਸ ਵੇਲੇ ਉਹ ਆਪਣੀ ਸ਼ੈਯਾ ਤੋਂ ਉੱਠੇ ਨਹੀਂ।

Word by Word

• ye: those who
• ye: Karta (कर्ता) of "jahus"
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन); relative pronoun

• tu: but
• tu: Sambandha-bodhaka (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: Indeclinable (अव्यय); particle (निपात) indicating contrast/emphasis

• rāmasya: of Rama
• rāmasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular (एकवचन)

• suhṛdaḥ: friends
• suhṛdaḥ: Karta (कर्ता) of "jahus" (apposition to "ye")
• Type: Noun
• Root: suhṛd (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन)

• sarve: all
• sarve: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण) of "ye/suhṛdaḥ"
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन)

• te: they
• te: Karta (कर्ता) of "jahus"
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन); correlative pronoun

• mūḍha-cetasaḥ: bewildered in mind
• mūḍha-cetasaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण) of "te"
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mūḍha (कृदन्त; √muh (मुह्), क्त) + cetas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन); karmadhāraya: "bewildered" + "minded"

• śoka-bhāreṇa: by/with the burden of grief
• śoka-bhāreṇa: Karaṇa/Hetu (करण/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śoka (प्रातिपदिक) + bhāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular (एकवचन); tatpuruṣa: "burden of sorrow"

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Indeclinable (अव्यय); conjunction

• ākrāntāḥ: overwhelmed/afflicted
• ākrāntāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण) of "te"
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ā + √kram (क्रम्)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त); Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन)

• śayanam: bed; couch
• śayanam: Apādāna/Karma (अपादानभाव; object left) of "jahus"
• Type: Noun
• Root: śayana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (प्रतिषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: Indeclinable (अव्यय); negation particle

• jahus: they left/abandoned
• jahus: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √hā (हा)
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Plural (बहुवचन); parasmaipada

• tadā: then
• tadā: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (काल-अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: Indeclinable (अव्यय); adverb of time

Context

All the friends of Rama were stupefied. Afflicted with the burden of sorrow they did not leave their bed.

Characters & Entities

• Rama

FAQs

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

It highlights suhṛt-dharma (the ethic of loyal friendship): true friends are inwardly shaken by a righteous person’s suffering and cannot remain unaffected.

What is the narrative situation?

Rama’s close companions in Ayodhya are so grief-stricken by his exile that they remain bedridden, stunned and inert.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

The friends’ fidelity and emotional integrity—genuine attachment to virtue expresses itself as sincere sorrow, not indifference.