Shloka 18

तारोपदेशः — Tara’s Counsel to Lakshmana

Restraint, Time, and Mobilization

Devanagari script

एवमाख्यातवान्वाली स ह्यभिज्ञो हरीश्वरः।आगमस्तु न मे व्यक्तश्श्रवात्तस्माद्ब्रवीम्यहम्।।।।

Transliteration

evam ākhyātavān vālī sa hy abhijño harīśvaraḥ | āgamas tu na me vyaktaḥ śravāt tasmād bravīmy aham ||

Translation

Vālī—bậc chúa tể loài khỉ, người am tường—đã từng thuật lại như vậy. Nhưng nguồn gốc ấy ta không rõ; nên ta chỉ nói theo điều mình đã nghe.

Word by Word

• evam: thus
• evam: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evam (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; adverb (क्रियाविशेषण)

• ākhyātavān: told/related
• ākhyātavān: Karta (कर्ता/Agent)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-√khyā (आख्या धातु)
• Form: Kṛdanta: past active participle (क्तवत्), Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; finite sense with implied 'asti'

• vālī: Vālī
• vālī: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vālin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana

• hi: indeed/for
• hi: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; nipāta (निपात) giving emphasis/cause

• abhijñaḥ: well-informed
• abhijñaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: abhijña (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; predicate/epithet of saḥ

• harīśvaraḥ: lord of the monkeys
• harīśvaraḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hari (प्रातिपदिक) + īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; tatpuruṣa (harīṇām īśvaraḥ)

• āgamaḥ: authoritative source/tradition
• āgamaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: āgama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana

• tu: but
• tu: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; adversative particle (विरोध/अन्वय)

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; negation

• me: to me / my
• me: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Possessor)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Ṣaṣṭhī (6th/षष्ठी), Ekavacana; enclitic genitive

• vyaktaḥ: clear/known
• vyaktaḥ: Pradhāna-viśeṣaṇa (प्रधानविशेषण/Predicate)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vyakta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; predicate adjective of āgamaḥ

• śravāt: from what is heard (hearsay)
• śravāt: Apādāna (अपादान/Source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka, Pañcamī (5th/पञ्चमी), Ekavacana; ablative of source; idiom 'from hearsay'

• tasmāt: therefore
• tasmāt: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Logical connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Ablative used adverbially (तस्मात्); avyayībhāva-like usage meaning 'therefore'

• bravīmi: I say
• bravīmi: Karta (कर्ता/Agent)
• Type: Verb
• Root: brū (ब्रू धातु)
• Form: Laṭ-lakāra (लट्/Present), Prathama? actually Uttama-puruṣa (उत्तमपुरुष), Ekavacana; parasmaipada

• aham: I
• aham: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Prathamā, Ekavacana

Context

Vali, the well-informed lord of the monkeys, has given an account of the demons. The source of the account is not known to me.Therefore I am speaking from what I have heard.

Characters & Entities

• Vālī
• Harīśvara (lord of monkeys)

FAQs

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

Satya is upheld through intellectual honesty: one should distinguish direct knowledge from hearsay and speak with appropriate caution.

What is the narrative situation?

Tārā cites Vālī as her informant about Laṅkā’s forces, while clarifying that she does not personally know the ultimate source.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Truthfulness with restraint—careful, qualified speech rather than exaggerated certainty.