वाल्मीकि-रामायणम् vālmīki-rāmāyaṇam - book-6, chapter-20, verse-9

किं नु मृत्योर्भयं नास्ति मां वक्तुं परुषं वचः ।
यस्य मे शासतो जिह्वा प्रयच्छति शुभाशुभम् ॥९॥

9. kiṃ nu mṛtyorbhayaṃ nāsti māṃ vaktuṃ paruṣaṃ vacaḥ ,
yasya me śāsato jihvā prayacchati śubhāśubham.

9. kim nu mṛtyoḥ bhayam na asti mām vaktum paruṣam
vacaḥ yasya me śāsataḥ jihvā prayacchati śubhāśubham

9. nu kim mṛtyoḥ bhayam na asti mām paruṣam vacaḥ vaktum
yasya jihvā me śāsataḥ śubhāśubham prayacchati

9. Is there no fear of death that one dares to speak harsh words to me? For me, the ruler, whose command (tongue) dispenses both good and ill.

Words meanings summery:

• किम् (kim) - is it (an interrogative particle) (what, how, why, is it?)

• नु (nu) - indeed, expresses emphasis or interrogation (indeed, truly, now, surely)

• मृत्योः (mṛtyoḥ) - of death (of death, from death)

• भयम् (bhayam) - fear (fear, dread, terror)

• न (na) - not (not, no, nor)

• अस्ति (asti) - is, exists (is, exists, happens)

• माम् (mām) - me

• वक्तुम् (vaktum) - to speak (to speak, to say, to tell)

• परुषम् (paruṣam) - harsh (harsh, rough, cruel, severe)

• वचः (vacaḥ) - words, speech (word, speech, saying, utterance)

• यस्य (yasya) - whose (referring to the king's tongue) (whose, of which, of whom)

• मे (me) - to me (used with 'śāsataḥ' which modifies 'me' as an adjective/participle) (to me, for me, my, of me)

• शासतः (śāsataḥ) - of me, the ruler / while I rule (modifies 'me') (of the ruling, of the commanding, of the punishing)

• जिह्वा (jihvā) - tongue (metaphorically, command or decree) (tongue, language, speech)

• प्रयच्छति (prayacchati) - dispenses, gives (gives, offers, grants, bestows)

• शुभाशुभम् (śubhāśubham) - both good and ill, auspicious and inauspicious outcomes (good and bad, auspicious and inauspicious)

Words meanings and morphology

किम् (kim) - is it (an interrogative particle) (what, how, why, is it?)

(indeclinable)

नु (nu) - indeed, expresses emphasis or interrogation (indeed, truly, now, surely)

(indeclinable)

Particle of interrogation or emphasis

मृत्योः (mṛtyoḥ) - of death (of death, from death)

(noun)

Genitive, masculine, singular of mṛtyu

mṛtyu - death, Mortality

From √mṛ (to die)

Root: mṛ (class 6)

भयम् (bhayam) - fear (fear, dread, terror)

(noun)

Nominative, neuter, singular of bhaya

bhaya - fear, dread, terror

From √bhī (to fear) with suffix -a

Root: bhī (class 3)

न (na) - not (not, no, nor)

(indeclinable)

अस्ति (asti) - is, exists (is, exists, happens)

(verb)

3rd person , singular, active, present (laṭ) of asti

Present Active

Root √as (to be), 3rd person singular, present tense, active voice

Root: as (class 2)

माम् (mām) - me

(pronoun)

Accusative, singular of asmad

asmad - me

1st person singular pronoun, accusative case

वक्तुम् (vaktum) - to speak (to speak, to say, to tell)

(verb)

infinitive (tumun) of vaktum

Infinitive

Root √vac (to speak) with suffix -tum

Root: vac (class 2)

परुषम् (paruṣam) - harsh (harsh, rough, cruel, severe)

(adjective)

Accusative, neuter, singular of paruṣa

paruṣa - harsh, rough, cruel, severe

वचः (vacaḥ) - words, speech (word, speech, saying, utterance)

(noun)

Accusative, neuter, singular of vacas

vacas - word, speech, saying, utterance

From √vac (to speak) with suffix -as

Root: vac (class 2)

यस्य (yasya) - whose (referring to the king's tongue) (whose, of which, of whom)

(pronoun)

Genitive, masculine, singular of yad

yad - who, which, what

Relative pronoun, genitive singular, masculine/neuter

Note: The referent is the king.

मे (me) - to me (used with 'śāsataḥ' which modifies 'me' as an adjective/participle) (to me, for me, my, of me)

(pronoun)

Genitive, singular of asmad

asmad - me, my

1st person singular pronoun, genitive/dative case (here genitive, agreeing with śāsataḥ)

Note: This 'me' is used adverbially in relation to 'śāsataḥ' or acts as a possessive pronoun with 'jihvā'. Given 'śāsataḥ' is genitive, 'me' is likely genitive here.

शासतः (śāsataḥ) - of me, the ruler / while I rule (modifies 'me') (of the ruling, of the commanding, of the punishing)

(adjective)

Genitive, masculine, singular of śāsat

śāsat - ruling, commanding, governing, punishing

Present Active Participle

From √śās (to rule, command) with suffix -at, genitive singular

Root: śās (class 2)

Note: Grammatically, 'me' and 'śāsataḥ' are both genitive singular, referring to the king.

जिह्वा (jihvā) - tongue (metaphorically, command or decree) (tongue, language, speech)

(noun)

Nominative, feminine, singular of jihvā

jihvā - tongue, language, speech

प्रयच्छति (prayacchati) - dispenses, gives (gives, offers, grants, bestows)

(verb)

3rd person , singular, active, present (laṭ) of prayacchati

Present Active

Root √yam (to give) with prefix pra-, 3rd person singular, present tense, active voice

Prefix: pra

Root: yam (class 1)

Note: Subject is 'jihvā'.

शुभाशुभम् (śubhāśubham) - both good and ill, auspicious and inauspicious outcomes (good and bad, auspicious and inauspicious)

(noun)

Accusative, neuter, singular of śubhāśubha

śubhāśubha - good and bad, auspicious and inauspicious

Dvandva compound

Compound type : dvandva (śubha+aśubha)

• śubha – good, auspicious, beautiful
  adjective (neuter)
• aśubha – bad, inauspicious, evil
  adjective (neuter)
  Negative prefix 'a-' + 'śubha'