Shloka 20

विभीषणोपदेशः

Vibhīṣaṇa’s Counsel to Rāvaṇa and the Rākṣasa Court

Devanagari script

सुवारिणाराघवसागरेणप्रच्छाद्यमानस्तरसाभवद्भि: ।युक्तस्त्वयंतारयितुंसमेत्यकाकुत्स्थपातालमुखेपतन्सः ।।।।

Transliteration

suvāriṇā rāghava-sāgareṇa pracchādyamānas tarasā bhavadbhiḥ | yuktas tv ayaṁ tārayituṁ sametya kākutstha-pātāla-mukhe patan saḥ ||

Translation

เมื่อเขาถูกคลื่น ‘มหาสมุทรแห่งราฆวะ’ ที่พวกท่านโหมกระหน่ำกลืนทับอย่างรวดเร็ว—ประหนึ่งตกสู่ปาตาลซึ่งมีปากเป็นกากุตสถะ—ท่านทั้งหลายควรรวมกำลังพาเขาข้ามพ้นให้ปลอดภัย ถอนเขาจากหายนะนั้น

Word by Word

• सुवारिणा: with/through the strong (flood of) water
• सुवारिणा: करणम् (instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सु-वारि (प्रातिपदिकम्; ‘सु’ + ‘वारि’)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गम्, तृतीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम् (instrumental singular, neuter); समासः: सु(शोभनम्/तीव्रम्)+वारि(जलम्)

• राघवसागरेण: by the ocean of Rāghava (Rāma)
• राघवसागरेण: करणम् (instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राघव-सागर (प्रातिपदिकम्; ‘राघव’ + ‘सागर’)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गम्, तृतीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम् (instrumental singular, masculine); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (राघवस्य सागरः)

• प्रच्छाद्यमानः: being covered/engulfed
• प्रच्छाद्यमानः: कर्तृविशेषणम् (qualifier of subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्र-छद् (धातुः) → प्रच्छाद्यमान (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिकम्)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले कर्मणि-प्रयोगे शानच्-प्रत्ययान्तः (present passive participle); पुंलिङ्गम्, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम् (nominative singular, masculine)

• तरसा: with force; swiftly
• तरसा: करणम् (instrument/means; adverbial instrumental)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तरस् (प्रातिपदिकम्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गम्, तृतीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम् (instrumental singular, neuter); अव्ययीभाववत् प्रयोगः—‘वेगेन/बलात्’ इत्यर्थे

• भवद्भिः: by you (all)
• भवद्भिः: करणम्/सहकारि (instrument/agent in passive sense)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भवत् (प्रातिपदिकम्; सर्वनाम-प्रयोगः)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गम्, तृतीया-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम् (instrumental plural, masculine; honorific 2nd-person pronoun ‘you’)

• युक्तः: fit; proper; appropriate
• युक्तः: कर्तृविशेषणम् (qualifier of subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: युज् (धातुः) → युक्त (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिकम्)
• Form: भूतकाले क्त-प्रत्ययान्तः (past passive participle); पुंलिङ्गम्, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम् (nominative singular, masculine)

• तु: but; indeed
• तु: सम्बन्धसूचकः (discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्ययम्)
• Form: अव्ययम्; निपातः/समुच्चय-व्यतिरेकसूचकः (particle: ‘but/indeed’)

• अयम्: this (one); he
• अयम्: कर्ता (subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिकम्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गम्, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम् (nominative singular, masculine; demonstrative pronoun)

• तारयितुम्: to rescue; to ferry across; to free
• तारयितुम्: प्रयोजनम् (purpose)
• Type: Verb
• Root: तॄ (धातुः) → तारयितुम् (तुमुन्)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्तः (infinitive); परस्मैपदी-प्रयोगः; अर्थः—‘तारयितुं’ = ‘उद्धर्तुम्/मोचयितुम्’

• समेत्य: having come together; assembling
• समेत्य: क्रियाविशेषणम् (adverbial; prior action)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम्-इ (धातुः) → समेत्य (ल्यप्/क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययभावः)
• Form: क्त्वान्त/ल्यपन्त अव्ययम् (gerund): ‘सम्’ उपसर्गपूर्वक ‘इ’ धातोः; अर्थः—‘समागत्य/एकत्र भूत्वा’

• काकुत्स्थ: O Kakutstha (Rāma)
• काकुत्स्थ: सम्बोधनम् (address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काकुत्स्थ (प्रातिपदिकम्; संबोधन-नाम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गम्, संबोधन-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम् (vocative singular, masculine)

• पातालमुखे: at the mouth/entrance of the underworld
• पातालमुखे: अधिकरणम् (location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाताल-मुख (प्रातिपदिकम्; ‘पाताल’ + ‘मुख’)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गम्, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम् (locative singular, neuter); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (पातालस्य मुखम् = ‘entrance to the underworld’)

• पतन्: falling
• पतन्: कर्तृविशेषणम् (qualifier of subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पत् (धातुः) → पतन् (शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले शतृ-प्रत्ययान्तः (present active participle); पुंलिङ्गम्, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम् (nominative singular, masculine)

• सः: he
• सः: कर्ता (subject; apposition to अयम्)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिकम्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गम्, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम् (nominative singular, masculine; pronoun)

Context

"He is going to fall into the ocean called Rama to be destroyed, engulfed in the pit of the shape of Kakutstha Rama, the underworld. It is proper for all of us to join and make him free."

Characters & Entities

• Rāma (Rāghava, Kakutstha)
• Pātāla (underworld)
• Rāvaṇa (implied as 'he/this one')

FAQs

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

Dharma is not passive: when a community sees a leader rushing toward catastrophe, it must unite to prevent further adharma and its consequences.

What is the narrative situation?

The speaker depicts Rāvaṇa’s impending ruin as drowning in Rāma’s overwhelming power, urging the court to intervene together.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Collective moral responsibility—shared duty to restrain harmful decisions and avert destruction.