Shloka 5

एकोनचत्वारिंशः सर्गः (Aranyakanda 39): राक्षसस्य रामत्रासवर्णनम् / The Demon’s Account of Rama

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Devanagari script

निहत्य दण्डकारण्ये तापसान्धर्मचारिणः।रुधिराणि पिबंस्तेषां तथा मांसानि भक्षयन्।।।।

Transliteration

nihatya daṇḍakāraṇye tāpasān dharmacāriṇaḥ |

rudhirāṇi pibans teṣāṃ tathā māṃsāni bhakṣayan ||

Translation

தண்டகாரண்யத்தில் தர்மம் கடைப்பிடித்த தவசிகளை நான் கொன்று, அவர்களின் இரத்தத்தைப் பருகி, அவர்களின் மாம்சத்தை உண்டேன்।

Word by Word

• निहत्य: having slain
• निहत्य: Purvakala (पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नि + हन् (धातु)
• Form: ल्यप्-प्रत्ययान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्यय

• दण्डकारण्ये: in the Dandaka forest
• दण्डकारण्ये: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दण्डक + अरण्य (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• तापसान्: ascetics
• तापसान्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तापस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• धर्मचारिणः: practising righteousness
• धर्मचारिणः: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धर्म + चारिन् (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन; विशेषण (to तापसान्)

• रुधिराणि: blood
• रुधिराणि: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रुधिर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• पिबन्: drinking
• पिबन्: Karta (कर्ता) (concomitant action)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पा (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (present active participle/शतृ), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; (अहम्)

• तेषाम्: of them
• तेषाम्: Shashthi-sambandha (षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (Gen. 6), बहुवचन

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: Kriya-visheshana (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb)

• मांसानि: flesh
• मांसानि: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मांस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• भक्षयन्: eating
• भक्षयन्: Karta (कर्ता) (concomitant action)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भक्ष् (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (present active participle/शतृ), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; (अहम्)

Context

I wandered about the Dandaka forest slaying righteous ascetics, drinking their blood and eating their flesh.

Characters & Entities

• Marīca
• Daṇḍakāraṇya (Daṇḍaka forest)
• tāpasas (ascetics)

FAQs

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

The verse highlights the gravity of harming dharmic ascetics; dharma demands protection of the righteous and condemns predation upon the defenseless.

What is the narrative situation?

Marīca confesses extreme past cruelty to show Rāvaṇa that such adharma inevitably meets a corrective force—embodied later by Rāma.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

By contrast, the virtue emphasized is the ascetics’ dharma-niṣṭhā (steadfast righteousness), underscoring why their protection is central in the epic.