वाल्मीकि-रामायणम् vālmīki-rāmāyaṇam - book-6, chapter-9, verse-18

यावत् सुघोरा महती दुर्धर्षा हरिवाहिनी ।
नावस्कन्दति नो लङ्कां तावत् सीता प्रदीयताम् ॥१८॥

18. yāvat sughorā mahatī durdharṣā harivāhinī ,
nāvaskandati no laṅkāṃ tāvat sītā pradīyatām.

18. yāvat sughorā mahatī durdharṣā harivāhinī na
avaskandati naḥ laṅkām tāvat sītā pradīyatām

18. yāvat sughorā mahatī durdharṣā harivāhinī naḥ
laṅkām na avaskandati tāvat sītā pradīyatām

18. Before the exceedingly fierce, mighty, and unconquerable monkey army attacks our Lanka, Sītā should be returned.

Words meanings summery:

• यावत् (yāvat) - before (as long as, until, as far as, when)

• सुघोरा (sughorā) - exceedingly fierce (very dreadful, exceedingly fierce)

• महती (mahatī) - mighty (great, mighty, large)

• दुर्धर्षा (durdharṣā) - unconquerable (irresistible, unconquerable, difficult to overcome)

• हरिवाहिनी (harivāhinī) - monkey army (monkey army, army of monkeys)

• न (na) - not (negation) (not, no, nor)

• अवस्कन्दति (avaskandati) - attacks (attacks, assails, invades)

• नः (naḥ) - our (us, to us, our)

• लङ्काम् (laṅkām) - Lanka (Lanka (name of the city/island))

• तावत् (tāvat) - until then, therefore (then, so long, to that extent)

• सीता (sītā) - Sītā (Sītā (name of Rama's wife))

• प्रदीयताम् (pradīyatām) - she should be returned (let her be given, she should be given back)

Words meanings and morphology

यावत् (yāvat) - before (as long as, until, as far as, when)

(indeclinable)

सुघोरा (sughorā) - exceedingly fierce (very dreadful, exceedingly fierce)

(adjective)

Nominative, feminine, singular of sughora

sughora - very dreadful, exceedingly fierce

Compound type : karmadhāraya (su+ghora)

• su – good, well, excellent, very
  indeclinable
  adverbial prefix
• ghora – dreadful, terrible, fearful
  adjective (masculine)

Note: Qualifying 'harivāhinī'.

महती (mahatī) - mighty (great, mighty, large)

(adjective)

Nominative, feminine, singular of mahat

mahat - great, mighty, large

Note: Qualifying 'harivāhinī'.

दुर्धर्षा (durdharṣā) - unconquerable (irresistible, unconquerable, difficult to overcome)

(adjective)

Nominative, feminine, singular of durdharṣa

durdharṣa - irresistible, unconquerable, difficult to overcome

Formed with prefix 'dur' (difficult) + root 'dhṛṣ' (to dare, to overcome) + suffix 'a'.

Compound type : pradi-samāsa (dur+dhṛṣa)

• dur – difficult, bad
  indeclinable
  prefix
• dhṛṣa – daring, bold, overcoming
  noun (masculine)
  From root 'dhṛṣ' (to dare, to overcome) + suffix 'a'.
  Root: dhṛṣ (class 1)

Note: Qualifying 'harivāhinī'.

हरिवाहिनी (harivāhinī) - monkey army (monkey army, army of monkeys)

(noun)

Nominative, feminine, singular of harivāhinī

harivāhinī - monkey army, army of monkeys

Feminine form of 'harivāhin' (carrying monkeys or having monkeys as transport), here meaning an army composed of monkeys.

Compound type : ṣaṣṭhī-tatpuruṣa (hari+vāhinī)

• hari – monkey, lion, Vishnu
  noun (masculine)
• vāhinī – army, host, stream
  noun (feminine)
  From root 'vah' (to carry), with suffix 'inī'.
  Root: vah (class 1)

Note: Subject of the sentence.

न (na) - not (negation) (not, no, nor)

(indeclinable)

Note: Negates the verb 'avaskandati'.

अवस्कन्दति (avaskandati) - attacks (attacks, assails, invades)

(verb)

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

Present active indicative

3rd person singular, present tense, active voice

Prefix: ava

Root: skand (class 1)

नः (naḥ) - our (us, to us, our)

(pronoun)

Genitive, plural of asmad

asmad - I, we (pronoun)

Enclitic form for accusative, dative, and genitive plural of 'asmad'. Here, genitive 'our' or accusative 'us'.

Note: Genitive plural, modifying 'laṅkām' (our Lanka).

लङ्काम् (laṅkām) - Lanka (Lanka (name of the city/island))

(proper noun)

Accusative, feminine, singular of laṅkā

laṅkā - Lanka

Note: Direct object of 'avaskandati'.

तावत् (tāvat) - until then, therefore (then, so long, to that extent)

(indeclinable)

Correlative to 'yāvat'

Note: Correlative adverb.

सीता (sītā) - Sītā (Sītā (name of Rama's wife))

(proper noun)

Nominative, feminine, singular of sītā

sītā - Sītā (name), furrow

Note: Subject of the passive verb 'pradīyatām'.

प्रदीयताम् (pradīyatām) - she should be returned (let her be given, she should be given back)

(verb)

3rd person , singular, passive, present (loṭ) of pradā

Present Passive Imperative

3rd person singular, present tense, passive voice, imperative mood (loṭ)

Prefix: pra

Root: dā (class 3)

Previous Verse Next Verse