Shloka 29

सीताया धर्मोपदेशः—शस्त्रसंयोगदोषकथा

Sita’s Counsel on Dharma and the Peril of Weapon-Association

Devanagari script

तदार्य कलुषा बुद्धिर्जायते शस्त्रसेवनात्।।3.9.29।।पुनर्गत्वा त्वयोध्यायां क्षत्रधर्मं चरिष्यसि।

Transliteration

tad ārya kaluṣā buddhir jāyate śastrasevanāt |

punar gatvā tv ayodhyāyāṃ kṣatradharmaṃ cariṣyasi ||

Translation

Bấy giờ, hỡi bậc cao quý, tâm sẽ vẩn đục do thường xuyên cầm nắm vũ khí. Khi trở lại Ayodhyā, ngài hãy thực hành bổn phận của kṣatriya.

Word by Word

• tadā: then
• tadā: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, कालवाचक (temporal adverb)

• ārya: O noble one
• ārya: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ārya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन

• kaluṣā: impure
• kaluṣā: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kaluṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: विशेषण; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (qualifying buddhiḥ)

• buddhiḥ: mind/intellect
• buddhiḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: buddhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• jāyate: arises / is produced
• jāyate: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: jan (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद

• śastrasevanāt: from weapon-practice
• śastrasevanāt: Hetu (हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śastra + sevana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास: शस्त्रस्य सेवनम् (service/use of weapons); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (Ablative/5th), एकवचन

• punaḥ: again
• punaḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: punaḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, पुनरावृत्तिवाचक (adverb: again)

• gatvā: having gone
• gatvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त (absolutive/gerund)

• tvayodhyāyām: in Ayodhya
• tvayodhyāyām: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tava + ayodhyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अयोध्या (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), सप्तमी, एकवचन; 'tvayā' is sandhi artifact: त्व + अयोध्यायाम् → त्वयोध्यायाम्

• kṣatradharmam: kshatriya-duty
• kṣatradharmam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣatra + dharma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास: क्षत्रस्य धर्मः (duty of a kṣatriya); पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• cariṣyasi: you will practise
• cariṣyasi: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: car (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

Context

Righteousness brings wealth. Wealth brings happiness. Righteousness brings everything. In fact, the essence of the world is righteousness.

Characters & Entities

• Sītā
• Rāma
• Ayodhyā
• śastra (weapons)
• kṣatra-dharma

FAQs

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

Even justified power can corrupt the mind if indulged in the wrong setting; dharma includes guarding inner purity, not merely external correctness.

What is the narrative situation?

Sītā recommends postponing overt warrior conduct until Rāma returns to royal life, implying that the forest-exile context calls for ascetic restraint.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Self-restraint and mindfulness about how habitual violence affects one’s character.