आरोपयित्वा धर्मात्मा पूरयामास तद्धनु:। तद्बभञ्ज धनुर्मध्ये नरश्रेष्ठो महायशा:
Meaning
Rama, the best among men, righteous and famous lifted the bow. Stringing it with a twang he drew it and broke it into two in the middle.
Word-by-word (pada-artha)
| Word | Devanagari | Meaning | Grammatical role |
|---|---|---|---|
| āropayitvā dharma-ātmā | आरोपयित्वा धर्म-आत्मा | having strung it, the righteous-souled one | Gerund / Nominative |
| pūrayāmāsa tat dhanuḥ | पूरयामास तत् धनुः | drew that bow | Verb (periphrastic perfect) / Accusative / Accusative |
| tat babhañja dhanuḥ madhye | तत् बभञ्ज धनुः मध्ये | broke it, the bow, in the middle | Accusative / Verb (perfect) / Accusative / Locative |
| nara-śreṣṭhaḥ mahā-yaśāḥ | नर-श्रेष्ठः महा-यशाः | the best of men, of great fame | Nominative (x2) |
Scholar commentary
valmikiramayan.net Prose Commentary
Desiraju Hanumanta Rao's prose rendering with embedded explanatory notes
The source notes wryly that the bow does not break on its own from age or dryness -- credit (or blame) goes to Rama, the way children are apt to damage a toy in play; he simply stretched the bowstring until it gave way. It also notes the bow breaks in the middle, at the handgrip, rather than at either end, which is offered as a mark of the sheer strength of his grip.
1 of 16 traditions have commentary on this shloka. Traditions without a verse-specific commentary here are omitted rather than filled in.
Reference: 1.67.17 · Bāla Kāṇḍa