Shloka 11

Devanagari script

येनेय मागता द्वैधं तव बुद्धिर्महामते।स हि धर्मो मम द्वेष्यः प्रसङ्गाद्यस्य मुह्यसि।।।।

Transliteration

yeneyaṃ āgatā dvaidhaṃ tava buddhir mahāmate | sa hi dharmo mama dveṣyaḥ prasaṅgād yasya muhyasi ||

Translation

హే మహామతీ! ఏ ‘ధర్మం’ వల్ల నీ బుద్ధి ఈ ద్వంద్వంలో పడిందో, దాని ఒత్తిడితో నీవు మోహపడుతున్నావో—ఆ ధర్మమే నాకు ద్వేష్యము॥

Word by Word

• येन: by which
• येन: Karaṇa (करण/Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (instrumental: "by which")

• इयम्: this (she/this)
• इयम्: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• आगतā: has come/has reached
• आगतā: Karta (कर्ता/Predicate participle agreeing with इयम्)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-गम् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि/भूतकृत् (past passive participle); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; "having come/attained"

• द्वैधम्: dilemma, indecision
• द्वैधम्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्वैध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; कर्मपद (object of आगता in sense "reached")

• तव: your
• तव: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (genitive: "your")

• बुद्धिः: intellect, understanding
• बुद्धिः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बुद्धि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• महामते: O great-minded one
• महामते: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन/Vocative address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महामति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: बहुव्रीहि-समास (महान् + मति); पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

• सः: that
• सः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• हि: indeed, for
• हि: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), अव्यय; emphasis/causal nuance

• धर्मः: righteousness, duty
• धर्मः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject complement)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• मम: to me, my
• मम: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी, एकवचन; सर्वनाम (genitive: "of me/to me")

• द्वेष्यः: to be hated
• द्वेष्यः: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Predicate adjective of धर्मः)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्विष् (धातु) + यत् (कृदन्त)
• Form: यत्-प्रत्ययान्त (gerundive/भाव्य); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; "to be hated"

• प्रसङ्गात्: from circumstance, due to context
• प्रसङ्गात्: Apādāna (अपादान/Ablative cause-source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रसङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन; अपादान (ablative: "from/owing to")

• यस्य: whose, of which
• यस्य: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन; सम्बन्ध ("whose/of which")

• मुह्यसि: you are deluded/confused
• मुह्यसि: Kriyā (क्रिया/Verb; Karta implied त्वम्)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मुह् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present/लट्), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Context

O noble minded one! I hate this righteousness which has deluded your intellect and created this dilemma about this issue.

Characters & Entities

• Rāma
• Lakṣmaṇa
• dharma

FAQs

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

Not every claim of ‘dharma’ is ethically sound; Lakṣmaṇa challenges a rigid interpretation of duty that produces confusion and enables injustice.

What is the narrative situation?

Seeing Rāma inclined to accept a painful command, Lakṣmaṇa denounces the kind of duty that traps Rāma in hesitation.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Moral courage—Lakṣmaṇa dares to question a prevailing notion of dharma when it seems to protect wrongdoing.