Ramayana — Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 100, Shloka 63

शततमः सर्गः — Rāma Questions Bharata on Rājadharma

Governance, Counsel, and Public Welfare

Devanagari script

कच्चिदर्थं च धर्मं च कामं च जयतां वर।विभज्य काले कालज्ञ सर्वान्वरद सेवसे।।।।

Transliteration

kaccid arthaṃ ca dharmaṃ ca kāmaṃ ca jayatāṃ vara | vibhajya kāle kālajña sarvān varada sevase ||

Translation

胜者之最、知时而行且能赐福者啊，你是否善分时日，圆满奉行人生三义：正法（dharma）、财富与政事（artha）、以及爱欲与乐（kāma）？

Word by Word

• kaccit: I hope; is it the case that...?
• kaccit: Sambandha
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kaccit (अव्यय)
• Form: Interrogative particle

• artham: wealth/interest
• artham: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: artha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana

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

• dharmam: dharma
• dharmam: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana

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

• kāmam: legitimate pleasure/desire
• kāmam: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana

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

• jayatām: of the victorious
• jayatām: Sambandha (Genitive epithet)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √ji (जि धातु)
• Form: Śatṛ/imperative? Here genitive plural of present participle used as epithet: jayat (शतृ/PrP) → jayatām (षष्ठी बहुवचन) ‘of the victorious’; used in address with vara

• vara: O best
• vara: Sambodhana
• Type: Noun
• Root: vara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Sambodhana, Ekavacana

• vibhajya: having divided/apportioned
• vibhajya: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकालक्रिया/Absolutive)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vi-√bhaj (भज् धातु)
• Form: Ktvā-pratyaya absolutive (क्त्वा/ल्यप्), avyayībhāva usage; ‘having apportioned/divided’

• kāle: at the proper time
• kāle: Adhikaraṇa (Time)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Saptamī (Locative), Ekavacana

• kālajña: O knower of the right time
• kālajña: Sambodhana
• Type: Noun
• Root: kālajña (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (तत्पुरुष) ‘kālaṃ jānāti’; Puṃliṅga, Sambodhana, Ekavacana

• sarvān: all (of them)
• sarvān: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā, Bahuvacana; refers to the three aims collectively

• varada: O giver of boons
• varada: Sambodhana
• Type: Noun
• Root: varada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa ‘varaṃ dadāti’; Puṃliṅga, Sambodhana, Ekavacana

• sevase: you pursue/attend to
• sevase: Kriyā (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √sev (सेव् धातु)
• Form: Laṭ (Present), Madhyama puruṣa (2nd), Ekavacana, Ātmanepada

Context

O highly sagacious Bharata, those brahmins who can comprehend the meaning of all scriptures along with the inhabitants of the city and country, I trust, are seeking your happiness.

Characters & Entities

• Bharata
• Rāma
• Dharma
• Artha
• Kāma

FAQs

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

Balanced living and balanced governance: dharma must be upheld while artha and kāma are pursued in rightful measure and at the proper time.

What is the narrative situation?

The speaker instructs Bharata on royal discipline, asking whether he allocates time correctly to the three human aims.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Kālajñatā—discernment of the right time—and disciplined balance among life’s aims.