वाल्मीकि-रामायणम् vālmīki-rāmāyaṇam - book-2, chapter-61, verse-23

अहो तम इवेदं स्यान्न प्रज्ञायेत किं चन ।
राजा चेन्न भवेंल् लोके विभजन् साध्वसाधुनी ॥२३॥

23. aho tama ivedaṃ syānna prajñāyeta kiṃ cana ,
rājā cenna bhaveṃl loke vibhajan sādhvasādhunī.

23. aho tamaḥ iva idam syāt na prajñāyeta kim cana
rājā cet na bhavet loke vibhajan sādhv-asādhunī

23. aho rājā cet loke sādhv-asādhunī vibhajan na
bhavet idam tamaḥ iva syāt kim cana na prajñāyeta

23. Alas, it would be as if darkness (tamas) prevailed, and nothing at all would be discernible, if there were no king in the world to distinguish between the good and the bad.

Words meanings summery:

• अहो (aho) - alas (oh, alas, ah, what a pity)

• तमः (tamaḥ) - darkness (tamas) (darkness, gloom, ignorance, inertia (tamas))

• इव (iva) - as if (like, as, as if)

• इदम् (idam) - this (referring to the state of affairs) (this, here)

• स्यात् (syāt) - would be (might be, would be, should be)

• न (na) - not (not, no)

• प्रज्ञायेत (prajñāyeta) - would be discernible (would be known, would be distinguished, would be perceived)

• किम् (kim) - (part of 'kim cana', meaning 'nothing at all') (what, which, who)

• चन (cana) - (part of 'kim cana', meaning 'nothing at all') (an indefinite particle, even)

• राजा (rājā) - king (king, ruler)

• चेत् (cet) - if (if, supposing that)

• न (na) - not (not, no)

• भवेत् (bhavet) - were (to be) (might be, would be, should be)

• लोके (loke) - in the world (in the world, among people)

• विभजन् (vibhajan) - to distinguish (distinguishing, dividing, separating)

• साध्व्-असाधुनी (sādhv-asādhunī) - the good and the bad (the good and the bad, the righteous and the unrighteous)

Words meanings and morphology

अहो (aho) - alas (oh, alas, ah, what a pity)

(indeclinable)

तमः (tamaḥ) - darkness (tamas) (darkness, gloom, ignorance, inertia (tamas))

(noun)

Nominative, neuter, singular of tamas

tamas - darkness, gloom, ignorance, one of the three guṇas (tamas)

Note: Subject of 'syāt'.

इव (iva) - as if (like, as, as if)

(indeclinable)

इदम् (idam) - this (referring to the state of affairs) (this, here)

(pronoun)

Nominative, neuter, singular of idam

idam - this, here, present

Note: Subject of 'syāt'.

स्यात् (syāt) - would be (might be, would be, should be)

(verb)

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

Root verb

Root: as (class 2)

Note: Expresses a hypothetical consequence.

न (na) - not (not, no)

(indeclinable)

Note: Negates 'prajñāyeta'.

प्रज्ञायेत (prajñāyeta) - would be discernible (would be known, would be distinguished, would be perceived)

(verb)

3rd person , singular, passive, optative (vidhi-liṅ) of jñā

From root 'jñā' with prefix 'pra-'. Passive voice formation with 'ya'.

Prefix: pra

Root: jñā (class 9)

Note: Expresses a hypothetical consequence.

किम् (kim) - (part of 'kim cana', meaning 'nothing at all') (what, which, who)

(pronoun)

Nominative, neuter, singular of kim

kim - who, what, which

Note: Forms 'nothing' with 'cana'.

चन (cana) - (part of 'kim cana', meaning 'nothing at all') (an indefinite particle, even)

(indeclinable)

राजा (rājā) - king (king, ruler)

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of rājan

rājan - king, ruler, sovereign

Note: Subject of 'bhavet'.

चेत् (cet) - if (if, supposing that)

(indeclinable)

न (na) - not (not, no)

(indeclinable)

Note: Negates 'bhavet'.

भवेत् (bhavet) - were (to be) (might be, would be, should be)

(verb)

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

Root verb

Root: bhū (class 1)

Note: Expresses a hypothetical condition.

लोके (loke) - in the world (in the world, among people)

(noun)

Locative, masculine, singular of loka

loka - world, people, universe, realm

विभजन् (vibhajan) - to distinguish (distinguishing, dividing, separating)

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, singular of vibhaj

vibhaj - to divide, separate, distinguish

Present Active Participle

Present active participle from verb root 'bhaj' with prefix 'vi-'.

Prefix: vi

Root: bhaj (class 1)

Note: Qualifies 'rājā'.

साध्व्-असाधुनी (sādhv-asādhunī) - the good and the bad (the good and the bad, the righteous and the unrighteous)

(noun)

Accusative, neuter, dual of sādhv-asādhu

sādhv-asādhu - the good and the bad

Dvanda compound of 'sādhu' (good) and 'asādhu' (bad).

Compound type : dvandva (sādhu+asādhu)

• sādhu – good, virtuous, righteous, holy man
  noun/adjective (masculine)
• asādhu – bad, wicked, unrighteous
  noun/adjective (masculine)

Note: Object of 'vibhajan'.

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