Ramayana — Bala Kanda, Sarga 16, Shloka 3

पायसप्रादुर्भावः

The Manifestation of the Divine Payasa and the Avatara Resolution

Devanagari script

एवमुक्तास्सुरास्सर्वे प्रत्यूचुर्विष्णुमव्ययम्।मानुषीं तनुमास्थाय रावणं जहि संयुगे।।।।

Transliteration

evam uktāḥ surāḥ sarve pratyūcur viṣṇum avyayam | mānuṣīṃ tanum āsthāya rāvaṇaṃ jahi saṃyuge ||

Translation

诸天神如此被告知，便对不朽的毗湿奴答道：“请取人身，在战场上诛灭罗波那。”

Word by Word

• saḥ: he (Rāvaṇa)
• saḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Sarvanāma, Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• hi: indeed/for
• hi: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle (निपात), explanatory

• tepe: performed (austerities)
• tepe: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √tap (तप् धातु)
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), Ātmanepada (आत्मनेपद), Prathama-puruṣa, Singular

• tapaḥ: penance
• tapaḥ: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tapas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• tīvram: severe
• tīvram: Karma (कर्म) — adjectival
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tīvra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular; viśeṣaṇa of 'tapaḥ'

• dīrgha-kālam: for a long time
• dīrgha-kālam: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: dīrgha (प्रातिपदिक) + kāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Avyayībhāva used adverbially: ‘dīrghaṃ kālam’ (for a long time)

• arindama: O subduer of enemies
• arindama: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: arindama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative (सम्बोधन), Singular; संबोधन to listener

• yena: by which
• yena: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Relative pronoun, Neuter/Masculine, Instrumental (तृतीया), Singular; ‘by which (penance)’

• tuṣṭaḥ: pleased
• tuṣṭaḥ: Karta (कर्ता) — qualifier
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tuṣṭa (प्रातिपदिक; PPP from √tuṣ)
• Form: Past Passive Participle (क्त), Masculine, Nominative, Singular; predicate qualifier of 'brahmā'

• abhavat: became/was
• abhavat: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhū (भू धातु)
• Form: Laṅ-lakāra (imperfect), Parasmaipada, Prathama-puruṣa, Singular

• brahmā: Brahmā
• brahmā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• loka-kṛt: creator of the worlds
• loka-kṛt: Karta (कर्ता) — appositional
• Type: Noun
• Root: loka (प्रातिपदिक) + kṛt (प्रातिपदिक from √kṛ)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa ‘lokān karoti’; Masculine, Nominative, Singular; epithet of 'brahmā'

• loka-pūrvajaḥ: born before the worlds
• loka-pūrvajaḥ: Karta (कर्ता) — appositional
• Type: Noun
• Root: loka (प्रातिपदिक) + pūrvaja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa ‘lokebhyaḥ pūrvaṃ jātaḥ’; Masculine, Nominative, Singular; epithet of 'brahmā'

Context

Then Dasaratha gave half the portion of payasam to Kausalya, half of the remaining half to Sumitra, half of the remaining portion (oneeighth of original) to Kaikeyi for the sake of a son. On further thinking, he gave the remaining oneeighth portion to Sumitra. In this manner the king divided and distributed the payasam among his wives separately.

Characters & Entities

• Viṣṇu
• surāḥ (gods)
• Rāvaṇa
• battle (saṃyuga)

FAQs

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

Restoration of dharma through righteous intervention: when adharma becomes overwhelming, divine power aligns with human embodiment to re-establish moral order.

What is the narrative situation?

The gods, responding within the larger cosmic crisis caused by Rāvaṇa, urge Viṣṇu to incarnate as a human to defeat him.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Commitment to loka-saṃgraha (the welfare and stability of the world): the divine is asked to take on limitation for the sake of justice.