Ramayana — Bala Kanda, Sarga 59, Shloka 17

विश्वामित्रस्य शरणागति-प्रशंसा तथा वासिष्ठपुत्र-शापः

Visvamitra grants refuge; the curse upon Vasishta’s sons

Devanagari script

ये दूषयन्त्यदुष्टं मां तप उग्रं समास्थितम्।भस्मीभूता दुरात्मानो भविष्यन्ति न संशय:।।1.59.17।।

Transliteration

ye dūṣayanty aduṣṭaṃ māṃ tapa ugraṃ samāsthitam | bhasmībhūtā durātmāno bhaviṣyanti na saṃśayaḥ || 1.59.17 ||

Translation

我本无过，安住于严峻苦行；凡以恶心诋毁我者，必将化为灰烬——此无疑也。

Word by Word

• ye: those who
• ye: Karta (कर्ता/Subject of dūṣayanti)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Bahuvacana; relative pronoun (यद्)

• dūṣayanti: blame/defile
• dūṣayanti: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dūṣ (दूष् धातु)
• Form: Laṭ-lakāra (Present/लट्), Prathama-puruṣa (3rd), Bahuvacana, Parasmaipada

• aduṣṭam: blameless
• aduṣṭam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Qualifier of mām)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: aduṣṭa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana; negated participial adjective

• mām: me
• mām: Karma (कर्म/Object of dūṣayanti)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (common), Dvitīyā (Accusative), Ekavacana; 1st person pronoun

• tapaḥ: penance
• tapaḥ: Karma (कर्म/Object with samāsthitam)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tapas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napuṃsakaliṅga, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana (object with samāsthitam: ‘having undertaken penance’)

• ugram: fierce
• ugram: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ugra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napuṃsakaliṅga, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana; agrees with tapaḥ

• samāsthitam: having undertaken
• samāsthitam: Karma (कर्म; object of dūṣayanti with mām)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-ā-√sthā (स्था धातु)
• Form: Kta-pratyaya (Past participle/क्त), Puṃliṅga, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana; agrees with mām; ‘one who has undertaken’

• bhasmībhūtāḥ: turned to ashes
• bhasmībhūtāḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject complement of bhaviṣyanti)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhasmī-bhūta (प्रातिपदिक; √bhū)
• Form: Kta (क्त) participle used predicatively, Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Bahuvacana

• durātmānaḥ: wicked-souled ones
• durātmānaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject of bhaviṣyanti; apposition to ye)
• Type: Noun
• Root: durātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Bahuvacana

• bhaviṣyanti: will become
• bhaviṣyanti: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (भू धातु)
• Form: Luṭ-lakāra (Future/लुट्), Prathama-puruṣa, Bahuvacana, Parasmaipada

• na: not/no
• na: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: Niṣedha-avyaya (Negation particle/निषेध)

• saṃśayaḥ: doubt
• saṃśayaḥ: Vākya-upapada (वाक्योपपद/Idiomatic predicate)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃśaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; idiom: na saṃśayaḥ

Context

Caught by the noose of death this day, they shall be brought to the abode of Yama and for seven hundred births, feed on corpses.

Characters & Entities

• Viśvāmitra
• Vasiṣṭha’s sons

FAQs

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

The verse dramatizes how truth-claims (satya about one’s blamelessness) can be paired with wrathful retaliation; dharma ideally requires that tapas be governed by compassion and restraint.

What is the narrative situation?

Viśvāmitra responds to the insults by declaring his purity and announcing destructive consequences for the revilers.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Ascetic potency (tapas) is foregrounded, but the episode also underscores the crucial virtue of self-mastery in wielding spiritual power.