Shloka 18

कबन्धवधः

The Severing of Kabandha’s Arms and the Opening of Dialogue

Devanagari script

विरूपं यच्च मे रूपं प्राप्तं ह्यविनयाद्यथा।तन्मे शृणु नरव्याघ्र तत्त्वतश्शंसतस्तव।।।।

Transliteration

virūpaṃ yac ca me rūpaṃ prāptaṃ hy avinayād yathā | tan me śṛṇu naravyāghra tattvataḥ śaṃsatas tava ||

Translation

人中的猛虎啊，请听我如实道来，我是如何因自己的傲慢而落得这般丑陋的模样的。

Word by Word

• virūpam: deformed
• virūpam: Karta-anvaya (कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: virūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st), Singular; predicate adjective of rūpam

• yat: which
• yat: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Relative pronoun, Neuter, Nominative (1st), Singular; correlates with tat

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction

• me: my
• me: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Genitive (6th), Singular

• rūpam: form
• rūpam: Karta (कर्ता; subject of prāptam)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st), Singular

• prāptam: has been obtained/come about
• prāptam: Kriyā (क्रिया; result state)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-āp (धातु)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त), Neuter, Nominative (1st), Singular; predicate of rūpam

• hi: indeed/for
• hi: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle (हेतु/निश्चयार्थक)

• avinayāt: from arrogance/ill-discipline
• avinayāt: Hetu (हेतु; cause)
• Type: Noun
• Root: avinaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Ablative (5th/पञ्चमी), Singular

• yathā: as/how
• yathā: Prakāra (प्रकार/‘as’)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: Comparative/explicative indeclinable (यथा)

• tat: that
• tat: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (2nd), Singular; object of śṛṇu

• me: from me
• me: Apādāna (अपादान; source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Ablative/Genitive form ‘me’ used as ‘from me/of me’; here Ablative sense (पञ्चमी-अर्थे) with śṛṇu

• śṛṇu: listen
• śṛṇu: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: śru (धातु)
• Form: Loṭ (Imperative), Parasmaipada, 2nd person, Singular

• nara-vyāghra: O tiger among men
• nara-vyāghra: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara + vyāghra (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative (8th), Singular; address

• tattvataḥ: truly/exactly
• tattvataḥ: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tattvatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Adverb (तत्त्वतः; ‘in truth/exactly’)

• śaṃsataḥ: as (I) narrate
• śaṃsataḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Verb
• Root: śaṃs (धातु)
• Form: Present active participle (शतृ) in Genitive (6th), Singular, Masculine/Neuter; ‘of me who am narrating’ (speaker implied)

• tava: to you/of you
• tava: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yuṣmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Genitive (6th), Singular

Context

While standing on the right, Rama cut off his right arm and the brave Lakshmana cut off the left.

Characters & Entities

• Kabandha
• Rama

FAQs

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

Satya and accountability: acknowledging one’s own fault (avinaya) as the cause of suffering is a dharmic turn toward truth and reform.

What is the narrative situation?

Kabandha begins to explain the backstory of his curse and deformation, attributing it to arrogance.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Truthfulness joined with humility—Kabandha’s willingness to confess the moral cause of his condition.