Valmiki Ramayana 2.13.12 — Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 13, Shloka 12

अयोध्याकाण्डे त्रयोदशः सर्गः | Kaikeyi Presses the Boons; Dasaratha’s Lament and Collapse

Devanagari script

यदि दुःखमकृत्वाऽद्य मम संक्रमणं भवेत्।अदुःखार्हस्य रामस्य तत स्सुखमवाप्नुयाम्।।।।

Transliteration

yadi duḥkham akṛtvā’dya mama saṅkramaṇaṃ bhavet, aduḥkhārhasya rāmasya tataḥ sukham avāpnuyām.

Translation

Kung ngayon ay dumating ang kamatayan sa akin nang hindi ko napagdulot ng pighati kay Rāma—na di karapat-dapat sa pighati—kung gayon, mula roon ay makakamtan ko ang kapayapaan.

Word by Word

• yadi: if
• yadi: Sambandha (सम्बन्धः)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadi (अव्यय)
• Form: Conditional particle (शर्तसूचक-अव्यय)

• duḥkham: sorrow; suffering
• duḥkham: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: duḥkha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• akṛtvā: without doing; not having caused
• akṛtvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (कृ धातु) + ktvā (क्त्वा)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (क्त्वान्त), negated with a-; ‘having not done’

• adya: today; now
• adya: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: adya (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb of time (कालवाचक-अव्यय)

• mama: my
• mama: Sambandha (सम्बन्धः)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (अस्मद् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pronoun (सर्वनाम), Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular (एकवचन)

• saṅkramaṇam: passing away; death; departure
• saṅkramaṇam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṅkramaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• bhavet: might be; could happen
• bhavet: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (भू धातु)
• Form: Optative (विधिलिङ्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)

• aduḥkhārhasya: of one not deserving suffering
• aduḥkhārhasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्धः)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a-duḥkha-arha (प्रातिपदिक); duḥkha + arha with negation a-
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular (एकवचन); compound: duḥkhasya arhaḥ (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष) with negation a-

• rāmasya: of Rama
• rāmasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्धः)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular (एकवचन)

• tataḥ: therefrom; then
• tataḥ: Apādāna (अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: Ablatival adverb (तस्मात्-अर्थे अव्यय)

• sukham: happiness
• sukham: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sukha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• avāpnuyām: I might obtain; I would attain
• avāpnuyām: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: āp (आप् धातु) with ava-
• Form: Optative (विधिलिङ्), 1st person (उत्तमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)

Context

Rama deserves happiness not suffering. How can I bear to see such a sagacious Rama undergoing distress?

Characters & Entities

• Daśaratha
• Kaikeyī
• Rāma
• Death (saṅkramaṇa)

FAQs

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

The king values ‘not harming the innocent’ over his own life; dharma is portrayed as the refusal to be the cause of unjust suffering.

What is the narrative situation?

Overwhelmed, Daśaratha expresses that dying now would be preferable to living while inflicting undeserved pain on Rāma.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Daśaratha’s conscience (moral self-judgment): he measures his life’s worth by whether he protects the dharmic son from undeserved suffering.