Ramayana — Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 58, Shloka 11

अष्टपञ्चाशः सर्गः (Sarga 58)

Daśaratha Questions Sumantra; Messages from the Forest Threshold

Devanagari script

किमुवाच वचो रामः किमुवाच च लक्ष्मणः।सुमन्त्र वनमासाद्य किमुवाच च मैथिली।।।।

Transliteration

kim uvāca vaco rāmaḥ kim uvāca ca lakṣmaṇaḥ |

sumantra vanam āsādya kim uvāca ca maithilī ||

Translation

“Rāma đã nói lời gì? Lakṣmaṇa đã nói gì? Và, hỡi Sumantra, khi đến rừng rồi, nàng Maithilī (Sītā) đã nói gì?”

Word by Word

• kim: what
• kim: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Interrogative pronoun; Napuṃsakaliṅga, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana; used adverbially ‘what?’

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (धातु)
• Form: Liṭ-lakāra (Perfect), Prathama-puruṣa, Ekavacana, Parasmaipada

• vacaḥ: words/speech
• vacaḥ: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vacas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napuṃsakaliṅga, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana

• rāmaḥ: Rama
• rāmaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana

• kim: what
• kim: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Interrogative; Napuṃsakaliṅga, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (धातु)
• Form: Liṭ-lakāra (Perfect), Prathama-puruṣa, Ekavacana, Parasmaipada

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (समुच्चय/and)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; conjunction

• lakṣmaṇaḥ: Lakshmana
• lakṣmaṇaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: lakṣmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana

• sumantra: O Sumantra
• sumantra: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sumantra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Sambodhana, Ekavacana

• vanam: the forest
• vanam: Karma (कर्म; object with āsādya)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napuṃsakaliṅga, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana

• āsādya: having reached
• āsādya: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-√sad (धातु)
• Form: Kṛdanta: Absolutive/Gerund (ल्यप्), indeclinable; prior action to uvāca

• kim: what
• kim: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Interrogative; Napuṃsakaliṅga, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (धातु)
• Form: Liṭ-lakāra (Perfect), Prathama-puruṣa, Ekavacana, Parasmaipada

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; conjunction

• maithilī: Maithilī (Sītā)
• maithilī: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: maithilī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana

Context

Upon reaching the forest, O Sumantra what did Rama, Lakshmana and Sita say?

Characters & Entities

• Daśaratha
• Sumantra
• Rāma
• Lakṣmaṇa
• Maithilī (Sītā)
• Forest (vana)

FAQs

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

The pursuit of satya (accurate testimony) is treated as a dharmic necessity: Daśaratha seeks the exact words spoken, valuing truth as the basis for understanding and response.

What is the narrative situation?

Daśaratha interrogates Sumantra for a faithful report of Rāma’s, Lakṣmaṇa’s, and Sītā’s statements at the point of entering the forest.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Truth-seeking and attentiveness: Daśaratha wants precise speech-acts, indicating the moral weight of words in the Ramayana.