तं च राजा दशरथो यष्टुकाम: कृताञ्जलि:। ऋश्यशृङ्गं द्विजश्रेष्ठं वरयिष्यति धर्मवित्।। 1.11.8।। यज्ञार्थं प्रसवार्थं च स्वर्गार्थं च नरेश्वर:। लभते च स तं कामं द्विजमुख्याद्विशांपति:।।1.11.9।।
Meaning
"Desiring to perform the sacrifice, righteous King Dasaratha will, with folded hands, request Rishyasringa, best of brahmins, for the sake of the rite, for progeny and for heaven — and that lord of the earth will obtain his desire through this foremost of brahmins."
Word-by-word (pada-artha)
Shloka 1.11.8
| Word | Devanagari | Meaning | Grammatical role |
|---|---|---|---|
| tam ca rājā daśarathaḥ | तम् च राजा दशरथः | and King Dasharatha | Nominative singular |
| yaṣṭu-kāmaḥ | यष्टु-कामः | desirous of sacrificing | Nominative singular |
| kṛtāñjaliḥ | कृताञ्जलिः | with joined palms | Nominative singular |
| ṛṣyaśṛṅgam | ऋष्यशृङ्गम् | Rishyashringa | Accusative singular |
| dvija-śreṣṭham | द्विज-श्रेष्ठम् | best of the twice-born | Accusative singular |
| varayiṣyati | वरयिष्यति | shall choose, request | Verb (future) |
| dharmavit | धर्मवित् | the knower of dharma | Nominative singular |
Shloka 1.11.9
| Word | Devanagari | Meaning | Grammatical role |
|---|---|---|---|
| yajña-artham | यज्ञ-अर्थम् | for the sake of sacrifice | Accusative (adverbial) |
| prasava-artham ca | प्रसव-अर्थम् च | and for the sake of progeny | Accusative (adverbial) |
| svarga-artham ca | स्वर्ग-अर्थम् च | and for the sake of heaven | Accusative (adverbial) |
| nara-īśvaraḥ | नर-ईश्वरः | the lord of men | Nominative singular |
| labhate | लभते | obtains | Verb (present, middle) |
| ca saḥ tam kāmam | च सः तम् कामम् | that desire | Accusative singular |
| dvija-mukhyāt | द्विज-मुख्यात् | from the foremost of the twice-born | Ablative singular |
| viśām patiḥ | विशाम् पतिः | the lord of the people | Nominative singular |
Scholar commentary
valmikiramayan.net Prose Commentary
Desiraju Hanumanta Rao's prose rendering with embedded explanatory notes
The source grounds Dasharatha's urgency in a specific shruti doctrine: aputrasya gatir naasti svargo naivaca naivaca -- 'there is no way out, in other worlds, for those without sons.' In this belief system, begetting a son isn't just a dynastic concern but a precondition for reaching heaven at all, which is why Dasharatha's request to Rishyasringa explicitly names both progeny and heavenly abodes as the two things he seeks.
1 of 16 traditions have commentary on this shloka. Traditions without a verse-specific commentary here are omitted rather than filled in.
Reference: 1.11.8-9 · Bāla Kāṇḍa