Shloka 2.18Unverified draft
पादबद्धोऽक्षरसमस्तन्त्रीलयसमन्वित: । शोकार्तस्य प्रवृत्तो मे श्लोको भवतु नान्यथा ।।1.2.18।।
Meaning
"Bound in four lines of equal syllables, fit to be sung to the accompaniment of strings, let what came from my sorrow be known as a sloka and nothing else."
Word-by-word (pada-artha)
| Word | Devanagari | Meaning | Grammatical role |
|---|---|---|---|
| pādabaddhaḥ | पादबद्धः | bound into four metrical quarters | Predicate adjective qualifying ślokaḥ |
| akṣarasamaḥ | अक्षरसमः | with an equal count of syllables | Predicate adjective qualifying ślokaḥ |
| tantrīlayasamanvitaḥ | तन्त्रीलयसमन्वितः | fitted to the rhythm of stringed instruments | Predicate adjective qualifying ślokaḥ |
| śokārtasya | शोकार्तस्य | of one stricken with grief | Genitive agreeing with me |
| pravṛttaḥ | प्रवृत्तः | that has issued forth | Past participle qualifying ślokaḥ |
| me | मे | from me | Genitive singular |
| ślokaḥ | श्लोकः | a sloka, a verse | Predicate nominative |
| bhavatu | भवतु | let it be | Imperative 3rd sg |
| na anyathā | नान्यथा | and nothing else | Negation + adverb |
Scholar commentary
valmikiramayan.net Prose Commentary
Desiraju Hanumanta Rao's prose rendering with embedded explanatory notes
(Part of the reflection-and-return passage, shlokas 16-22 -- see the fuller note at shloka 22.)
1 of 16 traditions have commentary on this shloka. Traditions without a verse-specific commentary here are omitted rather than filled in.
Reference: 1.2.18 · Bāla Kāṇḍa