Valmiki Ramayana 2.23.11: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 23, Shloka 11

लक्ष्मणक्रोधः—दैवपुरुषकारविवादः

Lakshmana’s Wrath and the Debate on Destiny vs Human Effort

Devanagari script

येनेय मागता द्वैधं तव बुद्धिर्महामते।स हि धर्मो मम द्वेष्यः प्रसङ्गाद्यस्य मुह्यसि।।।।

Sanskrit recitationValmiki Ramayana 2.23.11

Transliteration

yeneyaṃ āgatā dvaidhaṃ tava buddhir mahāmate | sa hi dharmo mama dveṣyaḥ prasaṅgād yasya muhyasi ||

Translation

اے عظیم خرد والے! جس ‘دھرم’ کے نام پر تیری رائے اس دو راہے میں آ پھنسی ہے—جس کے دباؤ سے تو حیران و سرگرداں ہے—وہی دھرم مجھے ناپسند ہے۔

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Word by Word

• येन: by which
• येन: Karaṇa (करण/Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (instrumental: "by which")

• इयम्: this (she/this)
• इयम्: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• आगतā: has come/has reached
• आगतā: Karta (कर्ता/Predicate participle agreeing with इयम्)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-गम् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि/भूतकृत् (past passive participle); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; "having come/attained"

• द्वैधम्: dilemma, indecision
• द्वैधम्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्वैध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; कर्मपद (object of आगता in sense "reached")

• तव: your
• तव: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (genitive: "your")

• बुद्धिः: intellect, understanding
• बुद्धिः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बुद्धि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• महामते: O great-minded one
• महामते: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन/Vocative address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महामति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: बहुव्रीहि-समास (महान् + मति); पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

• सः: that
• सः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• हि: indeed, for
• हि: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), अव्यय; emphasis/causal nuance

• धर्मः: righteousness, duty
• धर्मः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject complement)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• मम: to me, my
• मम: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी, एकवचन; सर्वनाम (genitive: "of me/to me")

• द्वेष्यः: to be hated
• द्वेष्यः: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Predicate adjective of धर्मः)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्विष् (धातु) + यत् (कृदन्त)
• Form: यत्-प्रत्ययान्त (gerundive/भाव्य); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; "to be hated"

• प्रसङ्गात्: from circumstance, due to context
• प्रसङ्गात्: Apādāna (अपादान/Ablative cause-source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रसङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन; अपादान (ablative: "from/owing to")

• यस्य: whose, of which
• यस्य: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन; सम्बन्ध ("whose/of which")

• मुह्यसि: you are deluded/confused
• मुह्यसि: Kriyā (क्रिया/Verb; Karta implied त्वम्)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मुह् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present/लट्), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Context

O noble minded one! I hate this righteousness which has deluded your intellect and created this dilemma about this issue.

Characters & Entities

• Rāma
• Lakṣmaṇa
• dharma

FAQs

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

Not every claim of ‘dharma’ is ethically sound; Lakṣmaṇa challenges a rigid interpretation of duty that produces confusion and enables injustice.

What is the narrative situation?

Seeing Rāma inclined to accept a painful command, Lakṣmaṇa denounces the kind of duty that traps Rāma in hesitation.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Moral courage—Lakṣmaṇa dares to question a prevailing notion of dharma when it seems to protect wrongdoing.