Shloka 24

किं नु शक्यं मया कर्तुं गतौदूरं नृपात्मजौ।।।।क्षिप्रं त्वं नश्यसे नीच तयोर्भीतो न संशयः।

kiṃ nu śakyaṃ mayā kartuṃ gataudūraṃ nṛpātmajau |

kṣipraṃ tvaṃ naśyase nīca tayor bhīto na saṃśayaḥ ||

میں اور کیا کر سکتا ہوں جب دونوں شہزادے بہت دور جا چکے ہیں؟ اے کمینے! تو جلد ہی نیست و نابود ہوگا؛ بے شک تو نے انہی کے خوف سے یہ حرکت کی ہے۔

kimwhat
kim:
Karma (कर्म/object of implied ‘is’)
TypeNoun
Rootkim (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; प्रश्नार्थक
nuindeed/then
nu:
Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootnu (अव्यय)
Formप्रश्न/अनुनयार्थक-अव्यय (particle)
śakyampossible
śakyam:
Kriya (क्रिया/predicate adjective)
TypeAdjective
Rootśakya (प्रातिपदिक; from √śak)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; भावे प्रयोगः—‘possible/able’
mayāby me
mayā:
Karana (करण/agent-instrument in potential)
TypeNoun
Rootasmad (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
Formतृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन; ‘by me’
kartumto do
kartum:
Karma (कर्म/verb-complement)
TypeVerb
Rootkṛ (धातु)
Formतुमुन् infinitive; ‘to do’
gataugone
gatau:
Karta (कर्ता/qualifier of nṛpātmajau)
TypeVerb
Rootgam (धातु)
Formक्त-प्रत्ययान्त PPP; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, द्विवचन; ‘gone’
dūramfar
dūram:
Gati/Desha-adhikarana (देश-अधिकरण)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootdūra (प्रातिपदिक)
Formद्वितीया-प्रयोगे देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverbial accusative): far away
nṛpa-ātmajauthe two princes
nṛpa-ātmajau:
Karta (कर्ता/subject of implied ‘are gone’)
TypeNoun
Rootnṛpa (प्रातिपदिक) + ātmaja (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, द्विवचन; तत्पुरुषः (nṛpasya ātmajau)
kṣipramquickly
kṣipram:
Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/adverbial)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootkṣipra (प्रातिपदिक)
Formक्रियाविशेषण-अव्यय (adverb): quickly
tvamyou
tvam:
Karta (कर्ता/subject)
TypeNoun
Rootyusmad (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
Formप्रथमा, एकवचन
naśyasewill perish
naśyase:
Kriya (क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Rootnaś (धातु)
Formलट् (present; here near-future sense), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद
nīcaO wretch
nīca:
Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
TypeNoun
Rootnīca (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन; निन्दावाचक
tayoḥof those two
tayoḥ:
Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
TypeNoun
Roottad (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
Formषष्ठी (6th), द्विवचन; ‘of those two’
bhītaḥafraid
bhītaḥ:
Karta (कर्ता/subject complement of tvam)
TypeVerb
Rootbhī (धातु)
Formक्त-प्रत्ययान्त PPP; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘afraid’
nano
na:
Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/negation)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootna (अव्यय)
Formनिषेधार्थक-अव्यय
saṃśayaḥdoubt
saṃśayaḥ:
Karta (कर्ता/existential subject)
TypeNoun
Rootsaṃśaya (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

O ten-headed Ravana, I am Jatayu, king of vultures. I am mighty. An eternal follower, of dharma, I am an adherent to truth.

R
Rāvaṇa
R
Rāma
L
Lakṣmaṇa

FAQs

Adharma often exploits absence and vulnerability; dharma condemns such cowardly advantage-taking and insists on accountability.

Jatāyu laments that Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa are away, and accuses Rāvaṇa of abducting Sītā only because he feared facing them.

Moral clarity and protective resolve: Jatāyu names the wrongdoing plainly and stands as a defender in their absence.