वाल्मीकि-रामायणम् vālmīki-rāmāyaṇam - book-2, chapter-101, verse-8

कस्य यास्याम्यहं वृत्तं केन वा स्वर्गमाप्नुयाम् ।
अनया वर्तमानो ऽहं वृत्त्या हीनप्रतिज्ञया ॥८॥

8. kasya yāsyāmyahaṃ vṛttaṃ kena vā svargamāpnuyām ,
anayā vartamāno'haṃ vṛttyā hīnapratijñayā.

8. kasya yāsyāmi aham vṛttam kena vā svargam āpnuyām
anayā vartamānaḥ aham vṛttyā hīnapratikñayā

8. aham kasya vṛttam yāsyāmi vā kena svargam āpnuyām
aham anayā hīnapratikñayā vṛttyā vartamānaḥ

8. Whose conduct shall I follow? Or by what means shall I attain heaven? I, who am now living by this conduct of a broken vow.

Words meanings summery:

• कस्य (kasya) - whose (whose, of whom, to whom)

• यास्यामि (yāsyāmi) - I shall follow (I will go, I will follow, I will adopt)

• अहम् (aham) - I

• वृत्तम् (vṛttam) - conduct (conduct, course of action, behavior, livelihood)

• केन (kena) - by what means (by whom, by what)

• वा (vā) - or (or, either...or)

• स्वर्गम् (svargam) - heaven (heaven, celestial world)

• आप्नुयाम् (āpnuyām) - may I attain (may I attain, I would attain, I should attain)

• अनया (anayā) - by this (conduct) (by this, with this)

• वर्तमानः (vartamānaḥ) - conducting oneself, living by (existing, being, acting, present)

• अहम् (aham) - I

• वृत्त्या (vṛttyā) - by conduct, by way of living (by conduct, by means of livelihood, by behavior)

• हीनप्रतिक्ञया (hīnapratikñayā) - by a conduct marked by a broken vow (by a broken vow, by a failed promise)

Words meanings and morphology

कस्य (kasya) - whose (whose, of whom, to whom)

(pronoun)

Genitive, masculine, singular of kim

kim - who, what, which

Note: Refers to the conduct of another person.

यास्यामि (yāsyāmi) - I shall follow (I will go, I will follow, I will adopt)

(verb)

1st person , singular, active, future (lṛṭ) of yā

Future Tense, 1st Person Singular

From root yā (class 2), future stem yāsya-.

Root: yā (class 2)

अहम् (aham) - I

(pronoun)

Nominative, singular of asmad

asmad - I, me, we, us

वृत्तम् (vṛttam) - conduct (conduct, course of action, behavior, livelihood)

(noun)

Accusative, neuter, singular of vṛtta

vṛtta - conduct, course of action, behavior, livelihood, story, occurrence

Past Passive Participle (used as a noun)

From root vṛt 'to be, exist, happen'.

Root: vṛt (class 1)

Note: Object of 'yāsyāmi'.

केन (kena) - by what means (by whom, by what)

(pronoun)

Instrumental, masculine, singular of kim

kim - who, what, which

Note: Refers to the means of attaining heaven.

वा (vā) - or (or, either...or)

(indeclinable)

Note: Connects the two questions.

स्वर्गम् (svargam) - heaven (heaven, celestial world)

(noun)

Accusative, masculine, singular of svarga

svarga - heaven, celestial world, abode of the gods

Note: Object of 'āpnuyām'.

आप्नुयाम् (āpnuyām) - may I attain (may I attain, I would attain, I should attain)

(verb)

1st person , singular, active, optative (liṅ) of āp

Optative Mood, 1st Person Singular

From root āp (class 5), optative stem āpnuyā-.

Prefix: ā

Root: āp (class 5)

Note: Expresses desire or possibility.

अनया (anayā) - by this (conduct) (by this, with this)

(pronoun)

Instrumental, feminine, singular of idam

idam - this, this one

Note: Refers to 'vṛttyā'.

वर्तमानः (vartamānaḥ) - conducting oneself, living by (existing, being, acting, present)

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, singular of vartamāna

vartamāna - existing, being, acting, present

Present Participle (Ātmanepada)

From root vṛt (class 1) 'to be, exist', present participle -āna.

Root: vṛt (class 1)

Note: Qualifies 'aham'.

अहम् (aham) - I

(pronoun)

Nominative, singular of asmad

asmad - I, me, we, us

Note: Repetition for emphasis or clarity, indicating the speaker.

वृत्त्या (vṛttyā) - by conduct, by way of living (by conduct, by means of livelihood, by behavior)

(noun)

Instrumental, feminine, singular of vṛtti

vṛtti - conduct, course of action, behavior, livelihood, manner

Root: vṛt (class 1)

Note: Refers to the manner of living.

हीनप्रतिक्ञया (hīnapratikñayā) - by a conduct marked by a broken vow (by a broken vow, by a failed promise)

(adjective)

Instrumental, feminine, singular of hīnapratikña

hīnapratikña - one whose vow is broken, having failed a promise

Compound type : bahuvrīhi (hīna+pratijñā)

• hīna – abandoned, devoid of, deprived, inferior
  adjective (masculine)
  Past Passive Participle
  From root hā 'to abandon, quit'.
  Root: hā (class 3)
• pratijñā – vow, promise, assertion
  noun (feminine)
  From prati + jñā.
  Prefix: prati
  Root: jñā (class 9)

Note: Qualifies 'vṛttyā'.