वाल्मीकि-रामायणम् vālmīki-rāmāyaṇam - book-3, chapter-35, verse-20

किमुद्यमं व्यर्थमिमं कृत्वा ते राक्षसाधिप ।
दृष्टश्चेत्त्वं रणे तेन तदन्तं तव जीवितम् ।
जीवितं च सुखं चैव राज्यं चैव सुदुर्लभम् ॥२०॥

20. kimudyamaṃ vyarthamimaṃ kṛtvā te rākṣasādhipa ,
dṛṣṭaścettvaṃ raṇe tena tadantaṃ tava jīvitam ,
jīvitaṃ ca sukhaṃ caiva rājyaṃ caiva sudurlabham.

20. kim udyamam vyartham imam kṛtvā te
rākṣasādhipa | dṛṣṭaḥ cet tvam raṇe tena
tat antam tava jīvitam | jīvitam ca
sukham ca eva rājyam ca eva sudurlabham

20. rākṣasādhipa tvam kim imam vyartham
udyamam kṛtvā? cet tvam tena raṇe dṛṣṭaḥ
tat tava jīvitam antam jīvitam ca
sukham ca eva rājyam ca eva sudurlabham

20. O king of Rākṣasas, why undertake this futile endeavor? If you are seen by him (Rāma) in battle, then your life will meet its end. Your life, happiness, and indeed your kingdom, will all become exceedingly difficult to attain.

Words meanings summery:

• किम् (kim) - why, what, how

• उद्यमम् (udyamam) - effort, exertion, enterprise

• व्यर्थम् (vyartham) - useless, futile, vain

• इमम् (imam) - this

• कृत्वा (kṛtvā) - having done, having made

• ते (te) - (addressed to) you, O you (O you (vocative), your (genitive), by you (instrumental))

• राक्षसाधिप (rākṣasādhipa) - O king of Rākṣasas

• दृष्टः (dṛṣṭaḥ) - seen

• चेत् (cet) - if

• त्वम् (tvam) - you

• रणे (raṇe) - in battle, in combat

• तेन (tena) - by him

• तत् (tat) - then, therefore, that

• अन्तम् (antam) - end, destruction

• तव (tava) - your, of you

• जीवितम् (jīvitam) - life, existence

• जीवितम् (jīvitam) - life, existence

• च (ca) - and

• सुखम् (sukham) - happiness, joy, comfort

• च (ca) - and

• एव (eva) - indeed, certainly, only

• राज्यम् (rājyam) - kingdom, sovereignty, reign

• च (ca) - and

• एव (eva) - indeed, certainly, only

• सुदुर्लभम् (sudurlabham) - very difficult to obtain, extremely rare

Words meanings and morphology

किम् (kim) - why, what, how

(indeclinable)

उद्यमम् (udyamam) - effort, exertion, enterprise

(noun)

Accusative, masculine, singular of udyama

udyama - effort, exertion, enterprise, undertaking, rising up

From ud-yam (to raise, exert)

Prefix: ud

Root: yam (class 1)

Note: Direct object of kṛtvā.

व्यर्थम् (vyartham) - useless, futile, vain

(adjective)

Accusative, masculine, singular of vyartha

vyartha - useless, futile, vain, without purpose or meaning

Compound of vi (without) and artha (purpose, meaning)

Compound type : bahuvrīhi (vi+artha)

• vi – without, apart, dis-
  indeclinable
• artha – purpose, meaning, object, wealth, thing
  noun (masculine)

Note: Agrees with 'udyamam'.

इमम् (imam) - this

(pronoun)

Accusative, masculine, singular of idam

idam - this, he, she, it

Note: Agrees with 'udyamam'.

कृत्वा (kṛtvā) - having done, having made

(indeclinable)

absolutive/gerund

Absolutive (gerund) form from root kṛ

Root: kṛ (class 8)

Note: Connects to the implicit action of the sentence.

ते (te) - (addressed to) you, O you (O you (vocative), your (genitive), by you (instrumental))

(pronoun)

Vocative, singular of yuṣmad

yuṣmad - you

Note: Interpreted as vocative in this context, consistent with 'rākṣasādhipa'.

राक्षसाधिप (rākṣasādhipa) - O king of Rākṣasas

(proper noun)

Vocative, masculine, singular of rākṣasādhipa

rākṣasādhipa - king of Rākṣasas, lord of demons

Compound of rākṣasa (demon) and adhipa (lord, ruler)

Compound type : ṣaṣṭhī-tatpuruṣa (rākṣasa+adhipa)

• rākṣasa – Rākṣasa, demon, evil spirit
  noun (masculine)
• adhipa – lord, ruler, king
  noun (masculine)
  From adhi-pā (to protect, rule)
  Prefix: adhi
  Root: pā (class 2)

Note: Addressing Rāvaṇa.

दृष्टः (dṛṣṭaḥ) - seen

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, singular of dṛṣṭa

dṛṣṭa - seen, perceived, observed, visible

Past Passive Participle

From root dṛś (to see)

Root: dṛś (class 1)

Note: Agrees with 'tvam' as part of a passive construction.

चेत् (cet) - if

(indeclinable)

त्वम् (tvam) - you

(pronoun)

Nominative, singular of yuṣmad

yuṣmad - you

रणे (raṇe) - in battle, in combat

(noun)

Locative, masculine, singular of raṇa

raṇa - battle, combat, war, strife, sound

From root raṇ (to delight, to sound)

Root: raṇ (class 1)

तेन (tena) - by him

(pronoun)

Instrumental, masculine, singular of tad

tad - that, he, she, it

Note: Refers to Rāma, the agent in the passive construction 'dṛṣṭaḥ'.

तत् (tat) - then, therefore, that

(indeclinable)

Note: Correlative to 'cet' (if...then).

अन्तम् (antam) - end, destruction

(noun)

Nominative, neuter, singular of anta

anta - end, limit, conclusion, destruction, boundary

Note: Part of the predicate 'tava jīvitam antam' (your life is at an end).

तव (tava) - your, of you

(pronoun)

Genitive, singular of yuṣmad

yuṣmad - you

Note: Possessive, refers to 'jīvitam'.

जीवितम् (jīvitam) - life, existence

(noun)

Nominative, neuter, singular of jīvita

jīvita - life, existence, living, livelihood

Past Passive Participle

Derived from root jīv (to live)

Root: jīv (class 1)

Note: Subject of the sentence 'your life (is) at an end'.

जीवितम् (jīvitam) - life, existence

(noun)

Nominative, neuter, singular of jīvita

jīvita - life, existence, living, livelihood

Past Passive Participle

Derived from root jīv (to live)

Root: jīv (class 1)

Note: One of the subjects that will be 'sudurlabham'.

च (ca) - and

(indeclinable)

सुखम् (sukham) - happiness, joy, comfort

(noun)

Nominative, neuter, singular of sukha

sukha - happiness, joy, comfort, ease, pleasure

Note: One of the subjects that will be 'sudurlabham'.

च (ca) - and

(indeclinable)

एव (eva) - indeed, certainly, only

(indeclinable)

राज्यम् (rājyam) - kingdom, sovereignty, reign

(noun)

Nominative, neuter, singular of rājya

rājya - kingdom, sovereignty, reign, government, royal power

From rājan (king) + -ya (suffix forming abstract noun)

Note: One of the subjects that will be 'sudurlabham'.

च (ca) - and

(indeclinable)

एव (eva) - indeed, certainly, only

(indeclinable)

सुदुर्लभम् (sudurlabham) - very difficult to obtain, extremely rare

(adjective)

Nominative, neuter, singular of sudurlabha

sudurlabha - very difficult to obtain, extremely rare, hard to reach

Compound of su (very) + dur (difficult) + labha (obtainable)

Compound type : bahuvrīhi (su+dur+labha)

• su – very, good, well
  indeclinable
• dur – difficult, hard, bad, ill
  indeclinable
• labha – gain, acquisition, obtainable, profitable
  adjective
  Gerundive/Potential Passive Participle
  From root labh (to obtain)
  Root: labh (class 1)

Note: Agrees with 'jīvitam', 'sukham', and 'rājyam' collectively.