Valmiki Ramayana 2.18.21: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 18, Shloka 21

अष्टादशः सर्गः

Kaikeyī Discloses the Boons: Exile to Daṇḍaka and Bharata’s Consecration

Devanagari script

प्रियं त्वामप्रियं वक्तुं वाणी नास्योपवर्तते।तदवश्यं त्वया कार्यं यदनेनाश्रुतं मम।।।।

Sanskrit recitationValmiki Ramayana 2.18.21

Transliteration

priyaṃ tvām apriyaṃ vaktuṃ vāṇī nāsyopavartate | tad avaśyaṃ tvayā kāryaṃ yad anenāśrutaṃ mama ||

Translation

เพราะพระองค์เป็นที่รักยิ่งของท่าน วาจาจึงไม่ยอมให้ท่านกล่าวสิ่งที่ไม่น่าฟังแก่พระองค์ ดังนั้นพระองค์พึงกระทำให้สำเร็จตามที่ท่านเคยให้สัตย์สัญญาแก่ข้าพเจ้าไว้

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Word by Word

• priyam: pleasant (words)
• priyam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: priya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, accusative singular; object-complement with ‘vaktum’

• tvām: to you
• tvām: Karma (कर्म) (addressee/object with ‘vaktum’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pronoun, accusative singular

• apriyam: unpleasant
• apriyam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: apriya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, accusative singular; object-complement with ‘vaktum’

• vaktum: to say
• vaktum: Prayojana (प्रयोजन) / Kriyārtha (क्रियार्थ)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: Infinitive (तुमुन्), ‘to speak’

• vāṇī: speech / voice
• vāṇī: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāṇī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, nominative singular

• na: not
• na: Nishedha (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: Negation particle

• asya: of him
• asya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pronoun, genitive singular

• upavartate: permits / allows / turns toward
• upavartate: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: upa + vṛt (धातु)
• Form: Present (लट्), 3rd person singular, ātmanepada

• tat: that
• tat: Karma (कर्म) (object of implied ‘kuru’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pronoun, neuter, nominative/accusative singular; correlates with ‘yat’

• avaśyam: certainly
• avaśyam: Kriya-visheshaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: avaśya (प्रातिपदिक/अव्ययवत्)
• Form: Avyaya (used adverbially), certainty marker (निश्चयार्थक)

• tvayā: by you
• tvayā: Karta (कर्ता) (agent of gerundive ‘kāryam’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pronoun, instrumental singular

• kāryam: must be done
• kāryam: Vidhi (विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṛ (धातु) + yat (यत्)
• Form: Gerundive (कर्तव्य/यत्-प्रत्यय), neuter nominative/accusative singular; ‘to be done’

• yat: which
• yat: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Relative pronoun, neuter nominative/accusative singular; correlates with ‘tat’

• anena: by him
• anena: Karaṇa (करण) / Agent-in-passive
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pronoun, masculine/neuter, instrumental singular

• āśrutam: promised
• āśrutam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ā + śru (धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: Kṛdanta past passive participle (क्त), neuter nominative/accusative singular; ‘promised/assured’

• mama: to me / of me
• mama: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pronoun, genitive singular

Context

The goddess of speech does not permit him to say an unpleasant thing to you for you are his beloved son. So you must fulfil the promise he has made to me.

Characters & Entities

• Kaikeyī
• Rāma
• Daśaratha

FAQs

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

Satya (truthfulness) and pratijñā-pālana (keeping promises) are invoked: Kaikeyī claims a prior promise must be fulfilled, framing dharma as obligation to pledged word.

What is the narrative situation?

Kaikeyī argues that Daśaratha cannot speak the harsh request himself, so she presses Rāma to comply with the king’s earlier assurance to her.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Rāma’s reliability to uphold vows and the royal word; the verse also highlights how moral language can be used persuasively to compel compliance.