वाल्मीकि-रामायणम् vālmīki-rāmāyaṇam - book-3, chapter-17, verse-9

कथं दासस्य मे दासी भार्या भवितुमिच्छसि ।
सो ऽहमार्येण परवान्भ्रात्रा कमलवर्णिनी ॥९॥

9. kathaṃ dāsasya me dāsī bhāryā bhavitumicchasi ,
so'hamāryeṇa paravānbhrātrā kamalavarṇinī.

9. katham dāsasya me dāsī bhāryā bhavitum icchasi
saḥ aham āryeṇa paravān bhrātrā kamalavarṇinī

9. kamalavarṇinī katham dāsasya me dāsī bhāryā
bhavitum icchasi saḥ aham āryeṇa bhrātrā paravān

9. O lotus-complexioned one (kamalavarṇinī), how do you, a female servant, desire to become the wife of me, a servant? I am entirely subordinate to my noble brother.

Words meanings summery:

• कथम् (katham) - how (how, why, in what manner)

• दासस्य (dāsasya) - of a servant (referring to Lakshmana himself) (of a servant, of a slave)

• मे (me) - of me (of me, my, to me)

• दासी (dāsī) - female servant (referring to Sita, in her devotion to Rama) (female servant, female slave)

• भार्या (bhāryā) - wife

• भवितुम् (bhavitum) - to become (to be, to become)

• इच्छसि (icchasi) - you desire (you wish, you desire)

• सः (saḥ) - that (referring to 'I') (that, he)

• अहम् (aham) - I (Lakshmana) (I)

• आर्येण (āryeṇa) - by the noble brother (Rama) (by the noble one, by the respectable one)

• परवान् (paravān) - dependent, subordinate (to Rama) (dependent, subject to another, subordinate)

• भ्रात्रा (bhrātrā) - by the brother (Rama) (by the brother)

• कमलवर्णिनी (kamalavarṇinī) - O Sita, who has a lotus-like complexion (O lotus-complexioned one, O one with the color of a lotus)

Words meanings and morphology

कथम् (katham) - how (how, why, in what manner)

(indeclinable)

दासस्य (dāsasya) - of a servant (referring to Lakshmana himself) (of a servant, of a slave)

(noun)

Genitive, masculine, singular of dāsa

dāsa - servant, slave

मे (me) - of me (of me, my, to me)

(pronoun)

Genitive, singular of asmad

asmad - I, me

root pronominal stem

Note: Enclitic form of genitive singular mama.

दासी (dāsī) - female servant (referring to Sita, in her devotion to Rama) (female servant, female slave)

(noun)

Nominative, feminine, singular of dāsī

dāsī - female servant, female slave

भार्या (bhāryā) - wife

(noun)

Nominative, feminine, singular of bhāryā

bhāryā - wife

gerundive

from root bhṛ (to bear, support) + Nyat suffix, meaning 'one to be supported' or 'one to be married'

Root: bhṛ (class 3)

Note: Though derived as a gerundive, it functions as a noun.

भवितुम् (bhavitum) - to become (to be, to become)

(verb)

active, infinitive of bhū

infinitive

infinitive form from root bhū

Root: bhū (class 1)

इच्छसि (icchasi) - you desire (you wish, you desire)

(verb)

2nd person , singular, active, present (laṭ) of iṣ

present active

2nd person singular present active from root iṣ (class 6)

Root: iṣ (class 6)

Note: Root iṣ is often conjugated as icchati.

सः (saḥ) - that (referring to 'I') (that, he)

(pronoun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of tad

tad - that, he, she, it

Note: Here used with aham to emphasize 'I'.

अहम् (aham) - I (Lakshmana) (I)

(pronoun)

Nominative, singular of asmad

asmad - I

आर्येण (āryeṇa) - by the noble brother (Rama) (by the noble one, by the respectable one)

(noun)

Instrumental, masculine, singular of ārya

ārya - noble, respectable, Aryan

Note: Refers to Rama, Lakshmana's elder brother.

परवान् (paravān) - dependent, subordinate (to Rama) (dependent, subject to another, subordinate)

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, singular of paravat

paravat - dependent, subject to another, having another as master

From para (another) + vat (possessive suffix)

Compound type : bahuvrīhi (para+vat)

• para – other, another, supreme
  adjective (masculine)
• vat – possessing, like
  suffix
  possessive suffix

Note: Nominative singular masculine form of paravat.

भ्रात्रा (bhrātrā) - by the brother (Rama) (by the brother)

(noun)

Instrumental, masculine, singular of bhrātṛ

bhrātṛ - brother

कमलवर्णिनी (kamalavarṇinī) - O Sita, who has a lotus-like complexion (O lotus-complexioned one, O one with the color of a lotus)

(adjective)

Vocative, feminine, singular of kamalavarṇin

kamalavarṇin - having the color of a lotus, lotus-complexioned

From kamala (lotus) + varṇa (color) + in (possessive suffix)

Compound type : bahuvrīhi (kamala+varṇa)

• kamala – lotus
  noun (neuter)
• varṇa – color, complexion, caste
  noun (masculine)

Note: Feminine vocative singular.