वाल्मीकि-रामायणम् vālmīki-rāmāyaṇam - book-2, chapter-21, verse-4

क एतच्छ्रद्दधेच्छ्रुत्वा कस्य वा न भवेद्भयम् ।
गुणवान्दयितो राज्ञो राघवो यद्विवास्यते ॥४॥

4. ka etacchraddadhecchrutvā kasya vā na bhavedbhayam ,
guṇavāndayito rājño rāghavo yadvivāsyate.

4. kaḥ etat śraddhadhet śrutvā kasya vā na bhavet
bhayam guṇavān dayitaḥ rājñaḥ rāghavaḥ yat vivāsyate

4. śrutvā kaḥ etat śraddhadhet,
vā kasya bhayam na bhavet,
yat rājñaḥ guṇavān dayitaḥ rāghavaḥ vivāsyate

4. Who would believe this upon hearing it? And whose fear would not arise, given that Rāghava, the king's virtuous and beloved (dayita) son, is being sent into exile?

Words meanings summery:

• कः (kaḥ) - who (interrogative pronoun) (who, what)

• एतत् (etat) - this (referring to the event of Rāma's banishment) (this)

• श्रद्धधेत् (śraddhadhet) - would believe (as in 'find credible') (he would believe, he should believe)

• श्रुत्वा (śrutvā) - upon hearing (this news) (having heard)

• कस्य (kasya) - whose (implying 'whose heart' or 'whose mind') (whose, of whom)

• वा (vā) - or (connecting two rhetorical questions) (or, either...or)

• न (na) - not (not, no)

• भवेत् (bhavet) - would be (would not arise) (it would be, it should be, it would happen)

• भयम् (bhayam) - fear (as in 'terror' or 'apprehension') (fear, dread, danger)

• गुणवान् (guṇavān) - virtuous, full of good qualities (referring to Rāma) (virtuous, endowed with good qualities)

• दयितः (dayitaḥ) - beloved (by the king and all people) (beloved, dear, liked)

• राज्ञः (rājñaḥ) - of King Daśaratha (of the king)

• राघवः (rāghavaḥ) - Rāma (as the renowned descendant of King Raghu) (descendant of Raghu, Rāma)

• यत् (yat) - given that, because (introduces a causal clause) (that, because, since)

• विवास्यते (vivāsyate) - he is being sent into exile (passive voice indicating an action done to him) (he is banished, he is sent away)

Words meanings and morphology

कः (kaḥ) - who (interrogative pronoun) (who, what)

(pronoun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of kim

kim - who, what, which (interrogative pronoun)

Interrogative pronoun, masculine singular nominative.

Note: Subject of 'śraddhadhet'.

एतत् (etat) - this (referring to the event of Rāma's banishment) (this)

(pronoun)

Accusative, neuter, singular of etad

etad - this, this one (demonstrative pronoun)

Demonstrative pronoun, neuter singular nominative/accusative.

Note: Object of 'śraddhadhet'.

श्रद्धधेत् (śraddhadhet) - would believe (as in 'find credible') (he would believe, he should believe)

(verb)

3rd person , singular, active, optative (vidhi-liṅ) of śraddhā-dhā

Compound verb formed by 'śraddhā' (faith, trust) used adverbially with the root 'dhā' (class 3). The combination means 'to have faith, to believe'.

Root: dhā (class 3)

श्रुत्वा (śrutvā) - upon hearing (this news) (having heard)

(indeclinable)

Absolutive (Gerund)

Formed from the root 'śru' (class 5) with the suffix '-tvā'.

Root: śru (class 5)

Note: Indicates an action completed before the main verb.

कस्य (kasya) - whose (implying 'whose heart' or 'whose mind') (whose, of whom)

(pronoun)

Genitive, masculine, singular of kim

kim - who, what, which (interrogative pronoun)

Interrogative pronoun, masculine singular genitive.

Note: Possessive form, referring to 'bhayam'.

वा (vā) - or (connecting two rhetorical questions) (or, either...or)

(indeclinable)

Conjunction.

न (na) - not (not, no)

(indeclinable)

Negative particle.

भवेत् (bhavet) - would be (would not arise) (it would be, it should be, it would happen)

(verb)

3rd person , singular, active, optative (vidhi-liṅ) of bhū

Root 'bhū' (class 1).

Root: bhū (class 1)

Note: Verb for the second rhetorical question.

भयम् (bhayam) - fear (as in 'terror' or 'apprehension') (fear, dread, danger)

(noun)

Nominative, neuter, singular of bhaya

bhaya - fear, dread, terror, danger, apprehension

Derived from the root 'bhī' (to fear).

Root: bhī (class 3)

Note: Subject of 'bhavet'.

गुणवान् (guṇavān) - virtuous, full of good qualities (referring to Rāma) (virtuous, endowed with good qualities)

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, singular of guṇavat

guṇavat - endowed with qualities, virtuous, excellent, meritorious, skilled

Formed by adding the possessive suffix '-vat' to 'guṇa' (quality, virtue).

Note: Qualifies 'rāghavaḥ'.

दयितः (dayitaḥ) - beloved (by the king and all people) (beloved, dear, liked)

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, singular of dayita

dayita - beloved, dear, desired, liked, cherished

Past Passive Participle

Formed from the root 'day' (to love, to pity, to show compassion).

Root: day (class 1)

Note: Qualifies 'rāghavaḥ'.

राज्ञः (rājñaḥ) - of King Daśaratha (of the king)

(noun)

Genitive, masculine, singular of rājan

rājan - king, ruler, sovereign

Root: rāj (class 1)

Note: Indicates possession or relation ('king's beloved').

राघवः (rāghavaḥ) - Rāma (as the renowned descendant of King Raghu) (descendant of Raghu, Rāma)

(proper noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of rāghava

rāghava - descendant of Raghu, a name for Rāma, belonging to the Raghu dynasty

A patronymic derived from Raghu (son of Raghu).

Note: Subject of 'vivāsyate'.

यत् (yat) - given that, because (introduces a causal clause) (that, because, since)

(indeclinable)

Conjunction, introducing a reason or cause.

विवास्यते (vivāsyate) - he is being sent into exile (passive voice indicating an action done to him) (he is banished, he is sent away)

(verb)

3rd person , singular, passive, present (laṭ) of vi-vas

Root 'vas' (class 1) with prefix 'vi-'. The form 'vivāsyate' is the present passive of the causative 'vivāsayati' (to cause to leave, to banish).

Prefix: vi

Root: vas (class 1)

Note: Subject is 'rāghavaḥ'.