Shloka 16

दनु-शापकथा तथा सीताहरण-प्रश्नः

Danu’s Curse Narrative and Rama’s Inquiry about Sita

Devanagari script

अनेन वपुषा राम वनेऽस्मिन्राजसत्तम।।3.71.16।।यद्यत्पश्यामि सर्वस्य ग्रहणं साधु रोचये।

Transliteration

anena vapuṣā rāma vane 'smin rājasattama || 3.71.16 ||

yad yat paśyāmi sarvasya grahaṇaṃ sādhu rocaye |

Translation

โอ้พระราม ผู้ประเสริฐในหมู่กษัตริย์ ด้วยกายเช่นนี้อาศัยอยู่ในป่า ข้าเห็นสิ่งใดก็กลับเห็นว่าการยึดเอามาเป็นสิ่ง ‘ชอบธรรม’

Word by Word

• anena: with this
• anena: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• vapuṣā: with (this) body
• vapuṣā: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vapus (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन

• rāma: O Rama
• rāma: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन/Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative/संबोधन), एकवचन

• vane: in the forest
• vane: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• asmin: in this
• asmin: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, सप्तमी, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• rāja-sattama: O best of kings
• rāja-sattama: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājan (प्रातिपदिक) + sattama (प्रातिपदिक; superlative)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः—'राज्ञां सत्तमः' (best among kings)

• yat-yat: whatever (thing)
• yat-yat: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; यत्-यत् (correlative: whatever)

• paśyāmi: I see
• paśyāmi: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √paś (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन

• sarvasya: of all
• sarvasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी, एकवचन; 'of all'

• grahaṇam: taking, seizing
• grahaṇam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: grahaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; here as कर्म (object) of rocate: 'acceptance/seizing'

• sādhu: well, properly
• sādhu: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sādhu (अव्यय/विशेषण-रूप)
• Form: अव्ययवत् प्रयुक्तम्; प्रशस्तिवाचक (well/properly)

• rocaye: I approve, I like
• rocaye: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √ruc (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद, उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन; causative sense in usage 'I approve/like'

Context

O Rama, the best of kings! I thought it was only proper in this forest and with this body to catch whatever creature I saw.

Characters & Entities

• Rama
• Kabandha
• forest (Aranya)

FAQs

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

A warning against self-justification: adharma often begins when one labels harmful impulses as ‘proper’ due to circumstance. Dharma requires discriminating right from convenient.

What is the narrative situation?

Kabandha admits that his monstrous condition and forest life led him to normalize capturing and consuming any being he encountered.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Moral discernment (viveka) by contrast: Rāma, as rājasattama, represents the standard of judging actions by dharma rather than appetite.