Shloka 15

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

Fear

Devanagari script

अपि रामसहस्राणि भीतः पश्यामि रावण।रामभूतमिदं सर्वमरण्यं प्रतिभाति मे।।।।

Transliteration

api rāmasahasrāṇi bhītaḥ paśyāmi rāvaṇa | rāmabhūtam idaṁ sarvam araṇyaṁ pratibhāti me ||

Translation

โอ้ทศกัณฐ์ ด้วยความหวาดกลัว ข้าพเจ้าเห็นแม้พระรามนับพัน; ป่าทั้งผืนนี้ปรากฏแก่ข้าพเจ้าราวกับกลายเป็นพระรามไปสิ้น

Word by Word

• rāmam: Rama
• rāmam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana

• eva: only
• eva: Avadhāraṇa (अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: Emphatic particle (अवधारण-निपात)

• hi: indeed
• hi: Sambandha-bodhaka (सम्बन्धबोधक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle (निपात)

• paśyāmi: I see
• paśyāmi: Kriyā (मुख्यक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √paś (पश् धातु)
• Form: Laṭ, Uttama puruṣa, Ekavacana

• rahite: in solitude
• rahite: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: rahita (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुंसakaliṅga, Saptamī (Locative), Ekavacana; used adverbially: 'when alone/when separated'

• rākṣasādhipa: O lord of demons
• rākṣasādhipa: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rākṣasa (प्रातिपदिक) + adhipa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Sambodhana (Vocative), Ekavacana; tatpuruṣa: rākṣasānām adhipaḥ (lord of demons)

• dṛṣṭvā: having seen
• dṛṣṭvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dṛś (दृश् धातु)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वान्त): 'having seen'

• svapnagataṃ: appearing in a dream
• svapnagataṃ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण) of 'rāmam'
• Type: Adjective
• Root: svapna (प्रातिपदिक) + √gam (गम् धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: Kta-participle used adjectivally, Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana; 'gone into dream' = seen in dream

• rāmam: Rama
• rāmam: Karma (कर्म) (object of 'dṛṣṭvā')
• Type: Noun
• Root: rāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana

• udbhramāmi: I become bewildered
• udbhramāmi: Kriyā (मुख्यक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ud + √bhram (भ्रम् धातु)
• Form: Laṭ (Present), Uttama puruṣa, Ekavacana

• vicetanaḥ: senseless
• vicetanaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण) of speaker
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vi + cetana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; 'senseless/unconscious'

Context

O Ravana! I see in my fear thousands of Ramas. The entire forest appears to me as though filled with Rama.

Characters & Entities

• Rāvaṇa
• Rāma
• forest (araṇya)

FAQs

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

Dharma is inescapable: the presence of righteous order presses upon the wrongdoer until he abandons harmful intent.

What is the narrative situation?

Directly addressing Rāvaṇa, the speaker confesses overwhelming fear—hallucinating countless Rāmas and perceiving the whole forest as pervaded by him.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Rāma’s moral and martial supremacy: his very name and presence dominate the psyche of those aligned with adharma.