वाल्मीकि-रामायणम् vālmīki-rāmāyaṇam - book-5, chapter-2, verse-39

न विनश्येत् कथं कार्यं वैक्लव्यं न कथं भवेत् ।
लङ्घनं च समुद्रस्य कथं नु न वृथा भवेत् ॥३९॥

39. na vinaśyet kathaṃ kāryaṃ vaiklavyaṃ na kathaṃ bhavet ,
laṅghanaṃ ca samudrasya kathaṃ nu na vṛthā bhavet.

39. na vinaśyet kathaṃ kāryaṃ vaiklavyam na kathaṃ bhavet
laṅghanaṃ ca samudrasya kathaṃ nu na vṛthā bhavet

39. kāryaṃ kathaṃ na vinaśyet kathaṃ ca vaiklavyam na
bhavet samudrasya laṅghanaṃ kathaṃ nu na vṛthā bhavet

39. How can this undertaking not be ruined? How can there be no agitation? And how, indeed, can the crossing of the ocean not become futile?

Words meanings summery:

• न (na) - not

• विनश्येत् (vinaśyet) - may it be ruined (may it perish, it should perish)

• कथं (kathaṁ) - how? (how? in what manner?)

• कार्यं (kāryaṁ) - undertaking, mission (task, undertaking, to be done)

• वैक्लव्यम् (vaiklavyam) - agitation, perplexity (bewilderment, agitation, perplexity, distress)

• न (na) - not

• कथं (kathaṁ) - how?

• भवेत् (bhavet) - may there be (may it be, it should be)

• लङ्घनं (laṅghanaṁ) - crossing (of the ocean) (crossing, leaping over, transgression)

• च (ca) - and (and, also)

• समुद्रस्य (samudrasya) - of the ocean (of the ocean, sea)

• कथं (kathaṁ) - how?

• नु (nu) - indeed (emphatic) (indeed, now, then (emphatic particle))

• न (na) - not

• वृथा (vṛthā) - futile (in vain, uselessly, futilely)

• भवेत् (bhavet) - may it become (may it be, it should be)

Words meanings and morphology

न (na) - not

(indeclinable)

विनश्येत् (vinaśyet) - may it be ruined (may it perish, it should perish)

(verb)

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

Optative Mood, Parasmaipada

From root `naś` with prefix `vi`.

Prefix: vi

Root: naś (class 4)

Note: Expresses wish, possibility, or rhetorical question.

कथं (kathaṁ) - how? (how? in what manner?)

(indeclinable)

Interrogative adverb.

कार्यं (kāryaṁ) - undertaking, mission (task, undertaking, to be done)

(noun)

Nominative, neuter, singular of kārya

kārya - to be done, duty, task, action, business

Gerundive

From root `kṛ`.

Root: kṛ (class 8)

Note: Subject of `vinaśyet`.

वैक्लव्यम् (vaiklavyam) - agitation, perplexity (bewilderment, agitation, perplexity, distress)

(noun)

Nominative, neuter, singular of vaiklavya

vaiklavya - agitation, bewilderment, distress, confusion

From `viklava` (bewildered) + suffix `ya`.

Note: Subject of `bhavet`.

न (na) - not

(indeclinable)

कथं (kathaṁ) - how?

(indeclinable)

Interrogative adverb.

भवेत् (bhavet) - may there be (may it be, it should be)

(verb)

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

Optative Mood, Parasmaipada

From root `bhū`.

Root: bhū (class 1)

लङ्घनं (laṅghanaṁ) - crossing (of the ocean) (crossing, leaping over, transgression)

(noun)

Nominative, neuter, singular of laṅghana

laṅghana - leaping, jumping over, crossing, transgressing

Noun of action

From root `laṅgh`.

Root: laṅgh (class 1)

Note: Subject of the third `bhavet`.

च (ca) - and (and, also)

(indeclinable)

समुद्रस्य (samudrasya) - of the ocean (of the ocean, sea)

(noun)

Genitive, masculine, singular of samudra

samudra - ocean, sea

Root: mud (class 1)

Note: Qualifies `laṅghanaṃ`.

कथं (kathaṁ) - how?

(indeclinable)

Interrogative adverb.

नु (nu) - indeed (emphatic) (indeed, now, then (emphatic particle))

(indeclinable)

Interrogative or emphatic particle.

न (na) - not

(indeclinable)

वृथा (vṛthā) - futile (in vain, uselessly, futilely)

(indeclinable)

Adverb.

भवेत् (bhavet) - may it become (may it be, it should be)

(verb)

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

Optative Mood, Parasmaipada

From root `bhū`.

Root: bhū (class 1)