वाल्मीकि-रामायणम् vālmīki-rāmāyaṇam - book-1, chapter-37, verse-20

स च ज्येष्ठो नरश्रेष्ठ सगरस्यात्मसंभवः ।
बालान् गृहीत्वा तु जले सरय्वा रघुनन्दन ।
प्रक्षिप्य प्रहसन्नित्यं मज्जतस्तान्निरीक्ष्य वै ॥२०॥

20. sa ca jyeṣṭho naraśreṣṭha sagarasyātmasaṃbhavaḥ ,
bālān gṛhītvā tu jale sarayvā raghunandana ,
prakṣipya prahasannityaṃ majjatastānnirīkṣya vai.

20. saḥ ca jyeṣṭhaḥ narśreṣṭha sagarasya
ātmasaṃbhavaḥ bālān gṛhītvā tu jale
sarayvā raghunandana prakṣipya prahasan
nityaṃ majjataḥ tān nirīkṣya vai

20. narśreṣṭha raghunandana ca saḥ sagarasya
jyeṣṭhaḥ ātmasaṃbhavaḥ bālān
gṛhītvā tu sarayvā jale prakṣipya nityaṃ
prahasan tān majjataḥ nirīkṣya vai

20. And he, the eldest, O best among men (narśreṣṭha), the son (ātmasaṃbhava) of Sagara, O delight of the Raghu dynasty (raghunandana), would seize children, throw them into the waters of the Sarayū, and constantly laughing, indeed watch them drown.

Words meanings summery:

• सः (saḥ) - he (referring to Asamañja) (he, that (masculine))

• च (ca) - and (and, also, moreover)

• ज्येष्ठः (jyeṣṭhaḥ) - the eldest (son) (eldest, chief, best)

• नर्श्रेष्ठ (narśreṣṭha) - O best among men (vocative, addressing Rāma) (best among men, chief of men)

• सगरस्य (sagarasya) - of Sagara

• आत्मसंभवः (ātmasaṁbhavaḥ) - son (of Sagara) (self-born, son, born from (one's) own self)

• बालान् (bālān) - children (children, young ones)

• गृहीत्वा (gṛhītvā) - having seized (having seized, having taken)

• तु (tu) - indeed (emphasizing the action) (but, indeed, yet, on the other hand)

• जले (jale) - into the waters (in water, into water)

• सरय्वा (sarayvā) - of the Sarayū (river)

• रघुनन्दन (raghunandana) - O delight of the Raghu dynasty (vocative, addressing Rāma) (delight of the Raghu family/dynasty)

• प्रक्षिप्य (prakṣipya) - having thrown (them) (having thrown, having cast)

• प्रहसन् (prahasan) - laughing (laughing, smiling)

• नित्यम् (nityam) - constantly (constantly, always, perpetually)

• मज्जतः (majjataḥ) - drowning (accusative plural, referring to bālān) (sinking, drowning (genitive/ablative singular or nominative/accusative dual masculine))

• तान् (tān) - them (the children) (them (masculine plural accusative))

• निरीक्ष्य (nirīkṣya) - having watched (having seen, having observed)

• वै (vai) - indeed (emphasizing) (indeed, certainly, truly)

Words meanings and morphology

सः (saḥ) - he (referring to Asamañja) (he, that (masculine))

(pronoun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of tad

tad - that, he, she, it

Note: Form of tad pronoun

च (ca) - and (and, also, moreover)

(indeclinable)

ज्येष्ठः (jyeṣṭhaḥ) - the eldest (son) (eldest, chief, best)

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, singular of jyeṣṭha

jyeṣṭha - eldest, chief, best

Superlative of vṛddha (old)

नर्श्रेष्ठ (narśreṣṭha) - O best among men (vocative, addressing Rāma) (best among men, chief of men)

(compound)

Compound type : tatpuruṣa (nara+śreṣṭha)

• nara – man, human being
  noun (masculine)
• śreṣṭha – best, excellent, chief
  adjective (masculine)
  Superlative of praśasya (excellent)

सगरस्य (sagarasya) - of Sagara

(proper noun)

Genitive, masculine, singular of sagara

sagara - Sagara (a king)

आत्मसंभवः (ātmasaṁbhavaḥ) - son (of Sagara) (self-born, son, born from (one's) own self)

(compound)

Compound type : tatpuruṣa (ātman+saṃbhava)

• ātman – self, soul, spirit, essence
  noun (masculine)
• saṃbhava – birth, origin, production
  noun (masculine)
  From sam-bhū (to be born)
  Prefix: sam
  Root: bhū (class 1)

बालान् (bālān) - children (children, young ones)

(noun)

Accusative, masculine, plural of bāla

bāla - child, young boy, ignorant person

गृहीत्वा (gṛhītvā) - having seized (having seized, having taken)

(indeclinable)

absolutive

Suffix -tvā

Root: grah (class 9)

तु (tu) - indeed (emphasizing the action) (but, indeed, yet, on the other hand)

(indeclinable)

जले (jale) - into the waters (in water, into water)

(noun)

Locative, neuter, singular of jala

jala - water

Note: Can also be dual nominative/accusative, but singular locative fits context best.

सरय्वा (sarayvā) - of the Sarayū (river)

(proper noun)

Genitive, feminine, singular of sarayū

sarayū - Sarayū (name of a river)

Note: Declension of u-ending feminine nouns

रघुनन्दन (raghunandana) - O delight of the Raghu dynasty (vocative, addressing Rāma) (delight of the Raghu family/dynasty)

(compound)

Compound type : tatpuruṣa (raghu+nandana)

• raghu – Raghu (name of a king, ancestor of Rāma)
  proper noun (masculine)
• nandana – delighting, son, child
  noun (masculine)
  From the root nand (to rejoice)
  Root: nand (class 1)

प्रक्षिप्य (prakṣipya) - having thrown (them) (having thrown, having cast)

(indeclinable)

absolutive

Prefixed with pra-, suffix -ya

Prefix: pra

Root: kṣip (class 6)

प्रहसन् (prahasan) - laughing (laughing, smiling)

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, singular of prahasat

has - to laugh, to smile

present active participle

From pra-has (to laugh aloud), present participle stem prahasat, nominative singular masculine form

Prefix: pra

Root: has (class 1)

Note: Acting as an adjective describing 'saḥ'

नित्यम् (nityam) - constantly (constantly, always, perpetually)

(indeclinable)

Note: Used adverbially here.

मज्जतः (majjataḥ) - drowning (accusative plural, referring to bālān) (sinking, drowning (genitive/ablative singular or nominative/accusative dual masculine))

(adjective)

Accusative, masculine, plural of majjat

majjat - sinking, drowning, submerged

present active participle

From root majj (to sink, drown), present participle stem majjat

Root: majj (class 6)

Note: Refers to the children (bālān)

तान् (tān) - them (the children) (them (masculine plural accusative))

(pronoun)

Accusative, masculine, plural of tad

tad - that, he, she, it

निरीक्ष्य (nirīkṣya) - having watched (having seen, having observed)

(indeclinable)

absolutive

Prefixed with nis-, suffix -ya

Prefix: nis

Root: īkṣ (class 1)

वै (vai) - indeed (emphasizing) (indeed, certainly, truly)

(indeclinable)

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