Shloka 25

Devanagari script

स एष सुमहाकायः कम्पते वाहिनीमुखे।नागश्शत्रुञ्जयो नाम वृद्धस्तातस्य धीमतः।।।।

Transliteration

sa eṣa sumahākāyaḥ kampate vāhinīmukhe | nāgaḥ śatruñjayo nāma vृद्धas tātasya dhīmataḥ ||

Translation

Ali, bem à frente do exército, move-se aquele elefante de enorme porte—idoso, chamado Śatruñjaya—pertencente a nosso pai sábio.

Word by Word

सःhe/that one

एषःthis (here)

सुमहाकायःvery huge-bodied

कम्पतेtrembles/moves

वाहिनीमुखेat the front of the army

नागःelephant

शत्रुञ्जयः(one) named ‘Conqueror of enemies’

नामby name

वृद्धःaged/old

तातस्यof the father

धीमतःof the wise/sagacious

Context

There is that huge and aged elephant named Satrunjaya which belogns to our sagacious father proceeding at the head of the army.

Characters & Entities

Lakṣmaṇa

Rāma

Daśaratha

Śatruñjaya (elephant)

Army (vāhinī)

FAQs

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

Dharma of truthful reporting: Lakṣmaṇa identifies concrete signs (the king’s elephant) to ground decisions in reliable evidence.

What is the narrative situation?

Lakṣmaṇa recognizes a distinctive royal elephant at the head of the approaching force, linking it to Daśaratha.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Practical intelligence and loyalty—he knows the royal insignia and communicates it to Rāma.