तमेवं गुणसम्पन्नं रामं सत्यपराक्रमम् ।।1.1.19।। ज्येष्ठं श्रेष्ठगुणैर्युक्तं प्रियं दशरथस्सुतम् । प्रकृतीनां हितैर्युक्तं प्रकृतिप्रियकाम्यया ।।1.1.20।। यौवराज्येन संयोक्तुमैच्छत्प्रीत्या महीपति: ।
Meaning
King Dasaratha, seeing his eldest son endowed with all these virtues and true valor, ever devoted to his people's good, resolved out of love and a wish to see the realm flourish to install Rama as crown prince.
Word-by-word (pada-artha)
| Word | Devanagari | Meaning | Grammatical role |
|---|---|---|---|
| tyage | त्यगे | in benevolence | Locative singular |
| dhanadena samaḥ | धनदेन समः | equal to Kubera, the God of Wealth | Compound phrase |
| satye | सत्ये | in candour | Locative singular |
| aparaḥ | अपरः | with no rival | Nominative singular — epithet/adjective |
| dharmaḥ iva | धर्मः इव | like Truth personified | Compound phrase |
| tam rāmam | तम् रामम् | that Rama | Compound phrase |
| evam guṇa sampannam | एवम् गुण सम्पन्नम् | possessor of such merits | Compound phrase |
| satya parākramam | सत्य पराक्रमम् | with true valour | Compound phrase |
| jyeṣṭham sutam | ज्येष्ठम् सुतम् | the eldest son | Compound phrase |
| śreṣṭha guṇaiḥ yuktam | श्रेष्ठ गुणैः युक्तम् | together with the best of qualities | Compound phrase |
| priyam | प्रियम् | a dear one (to Dasharatha) | Accusative singular (or neuter epithet) |
| daśarathaḥ | दशरथः | of King Dasharatha | Genitive singular |
| prakṛtīnām hitaiḥ yuktam | प्रकृतीनाम् हितैः युक्तम् | doer of works for the welfare of the people | Compound phrase |
| prakṛti priya kāmyayā | प्रकृति प्रिय काम्यया | with a desire for doing good to the people | Compound phrase |
Scholar commentary
Shloka 1.1.19-20
IIT Kanpur English Commentary
Modern synthesis of traditional Sanskrit commentaries (Desiraju Hanumanta Rao & K.M.K. Murthy)
Part of the same extended passage (verses 7-20, see shloka 18) -- these closing verses complete the physical and moral portrait: Rama is described as well-versed in the four Vedas and six Vedangas, and separately as trained in Dhanurveda, the discipline of archery and weaponry, which the tradition treats as its own branch of knowledge on the same footing as the Vedas.
1 of 16 traditions have commentary on this shloka. Traditions without a verse-specific commentary here are omitted rather than filled in.
Shloka 1.1.20
IIT Kanpur English Commentary
Modern synthesis of traditional Sanskrit commentaries (Desiraju Hanumanta Rao & K.M.K. Murthy)
Part of the same extended passage (verses 7-20, see shloka 18) -- these closing verses complete the physical and moral portrait: Rama is described as well-versed in the four Vedas and six Vedangas, and separately as trained in Dhanurveda, the discipline of archery and weaponry, which the tradition treats as its own branch of knowledge on the same footing as the Vedas.
1 of 16 traditions have commentary on this shloka. Traditions without a verse-specific commentary here are omitted rather than filled in.
Reference: 1.1.19-20 · Bāla Kāṇḍa