Ramayana — Bala Kanda, Sarga 67, Shloka 10

शिवधनुर्दर्शनं—रामेण धनुर्भङ्गश्च

The Showing of Śiva’s Bow and Rama’s Breaking of It

Devanagari script

क्व गतिर्मानुषाणां च धनुषोऽस्य प्रपूरणे।आरोपणे समायोगे वेपने तोलनेऽपि वा।।।।

Transliteration

kva gatir mānuṣāṇāṃ ca dhanuṣo 'sya prapūraṇe | āropaṇe samāyoge vepane tolane 'pi vā || 1.67.10 ||

Translation

“区区凡人对这张弓又有何能为——无论是使之弯曲、上弦、搭箭、后拉，乃至仅仅举起它？”

Word by Word

• kva: where/what possibility
• kva: Prashna (प्रश्न)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kva (अव्यय)
• Form: Interrogative adverb (प्रश्नवाचक अव्यय)

• gatiḥ: capacity/possibility
• gatiḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana

• mānuṣāṇām: of humans
• mānuṣāṇām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mānuṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pumliṅga, Ṣaṣṭhī, Bahuvacana

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

• dhanuṣaḥ: of the bow
• dhanuṣaḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhanus (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka, Ṣaṣṭhī, Ekavacana

• asya: of this
• asya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pum/Napumsaka, Ṣaṣṭhī, Ekavacana

• prapūraṇe: in stretching/stringing
• prapūraṇe: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pra + pūraṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka, Saptamī (7th/सप्तमी), Ekavacana; locative of action-noun

• āropaṇe: in mounting/stringing
• āropaṇe: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: āropaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka, Saptamī, Ekavacana

• samāyoge: in fitting/setting (together)
• samāyoge: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: samāyoga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Pumliṅga, Saptamī, Ekavacana

• vepane: in pulling/trembling (the string)
• vepane: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vepana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka, Saptamī, Ekavacana

• tolane: in lifting/weighing
• tolane: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tolana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka, Saptamī, Ekavacana

• api: even/also
• api: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle (अपि = ‘also/even’)

• vā: or
• vā: Vikalpa (विकल्प)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: Disjunctive particle (विकल्पार्थक)

Context

How then can men bend, string, fix the arrow, pull the string and lift it?

Characters & Entities

• Janaka
• Viśvāmitra
• humans (mānuṣa)
• the bow (Śiva-dhanus / Pināka)

FAQs

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

Humility before the sacred: dharma includes knowing one’s limits and recognizing that divine instruments demand exceptional worth and discipline.

What is the narrative situation?

Janaka emphasizes the bow’s extraordinary weight and difficulty, implying that ordinary people cannot even handle it.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Janaka’s prudence—he frames the challenge realistically and safeguards the sanctity of the test.