वाल्मीकि-रामायणम् vālmīki-rāmāyaṇam - book-7, chapter-11, verse-38

प्रहस्तस्तु दशग्रीवं गत्वा सर्वं न्यवेदयत् ।
शून्या सा नगरी लङ्का त्रिंशद्योजनमायता ।
प्रविश्य तां सहास्माभिः स्वधर्मं तत्र पालय ॥३८॥

38. prahastastu daśagrīvaṃ gatvā sarvaṃ nyavedayat ,
śūnyā sā nagarī laṅkā triṃśadyojanamāyatā ,
praviśya tāṃ sahāsmābhiḥ svadharmaṃ tatra pālaya.

38. prahastaḥ tu daśagrīvam gatvā sarvam
nyavedayat śūnyā sā nagarī laṅkā
triṃśat yojana āyatā praviśya tām
saha asmābhiḥ svadharmam tatra pālaya

38. tu prahastaḥ daśagrīvam gatvā sarvam
nyavedayat sā laṅkā nagarī triṃśat
yojana āyatā śūnyā tām asmābhiḥ
saha praviśya tatra svadharmam pālaya

38. But Prahasta went to Daśagrīva and reported everything: "That city of Lanka, which is thirty yojanas long, is deserted. Enter it with us and rule according to your own intrinsic nature (svadharma) there."

Words meanings summery:

• प्रहस्तः (prahastaḥ) - Prahasta (Rāvaṇa's general) (Prahasta (name of a rakṣasa general))

• तु (tu) - but (indicating a shift or emphasis) (but, indeed, however)

• दशग्रीवम् (daśagrīvam) - to Daśagrīva (Rāvaṇa) (to Daśagrīva (Rāvaṇa, 'ten-necked'))

• गत्वा (gatvā) - having gone (having gone, having proceeded)

• सर्वम् (sarvam) - everything (the entire situation) (all, everything, whole)

• न्यवेदयत् (nyavedayat) - reported, informed (he reported, he informed, he made known)

• शून्या (śūnyā) - deserted, empty (empty, void, deserted)

• सा (sā) - that (city) (that, she)

• नगरी (nagarī) - city (city, town)

• लङ्का (laṅkā) - Lanka (the capital of Rāvaṇa) (Lanka (name of an island city))

• त्रिंशत् (triṁśat) - thirty

• योजन (yojana) - yojanas (a unit of distance) (yojana (a measure of distance, approx. 8-10 miles))

• आयता (āyatā) - long (in extent) (long, extended, stretched)

• प्रविश्य (praviśya) - having entered (having entered, after entering)

• ताम् (tām) - that (city, Lanka) (that, her)

• सह (saha) - with (with, accompanied by)

• अस्माभिः (asmābhiḥ) - with us (by us, with us)

• स्वधर्मम् (svadharmam) - one's own intrinsic nature (svadharma) (one's own natural law (dharma), one's duty)

• तत्र (tatra) - there (in Lanka) (there, in that place)

• पालय (pālaya) - rule, protect (protect, guard, rule, cherish)

Words meanings and morphology

प्रहस्तः (prahastaḥ) - Prahasta (Rāvaṇa's general) (Prahasta (name of a rakṣasa general))

(proper noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of prahasta

prahasta - Prahasta (a proper name, particularly a general of Rāvaṇa)

Note: Subject of 'nyavedayat'.

तु (tu) - but (indicating a shift or emphasis) (but, indeed, however)

(indeclinable)

दशग्रीवम् (daśagrīvam) - to Daśagrīva (Rāvaṇa) (to Daśagrīva (Rāvaṇa, 'ten-necked'))

(proper noun)

Accusative, masculine, singular of daśagrīva

daśagrīva - Daśagrīva (Rāvaṇa), the ten-necked

Compound type : bahuvrihi (daśan+grīvā)

• daśan – ten
  numeral
• grīvā – neck
  noun (feminine)

Note: Object of motion implied by 'gatvā'.

गत्वा (gatvā) - having gone (having gone, having proceeded)

(indeclinable)

Absolutive (Gerund)

from root gam (to go) + tvā suffix

Root: gam (class 1)

सर्वम् (sarvam) - everything (the entire situation) (all, everything, whole)

(pronoun)

Accusative, neuter, singular of sarva

sarva - all, every, whole

Note: Direct object of 'nyavedayat'.

न्यवेदयत् (nyavedayat) - reported, informed (he reported, he informed, he made known)

(verb)

3rd person , singular, active, past imperfect (laṅ) of niveday

Causative form of ni + vid. Imperfect tense.

Prefix: ni

Root: vid (class 2)

Note: Main verb of the first clause.

शून्या (śūnyā) - deserted, empty (empty, void, deserted)

(adjective)

Nominative, feminine, singular of śūnya

śūnya - empty, void, deserted, zero

Root: śū

सा (sā) - that (city) (that, she)

(pronoun)

Nominative, feminine, singular of tad

tad - that, he, she, it

Note: Qualifies 'nagarī'.

नगरी (nagarī) - city (city, town)

(noun)

Nominative, feminine, singular of nagarī

nagarī - city, town

from nagara (city) + ī (feminine suffix)

Note: Refers to Lanka.

लङ्का (laṅkā) - Lanka (the capital of Rāvaṇa) (Lanka (name of an island city))

(proper noun)

Nominative, feminine, singular of laṅkā

laṅkā - Lanka (proper name of a city/island)

Note: Subject of the reported speech.

त्रिंशत् (triṁśat) - thirty

(numeral)

Note: First part of the compound 'triṃśadyojana'.

योजन (yojana) - yojanas (a unit of distance) (yojana (a measure of distance, approx. 8-10 miles))

(noun)

neuter, singular of yojana

yojana - yojana (a measure of distance), harnessing

from root yuj (to join, yoke)

Root: yuj (class 7)

Note: Part of the compound 'triṃśadyojanāyatā'.

आयता (āyatā) - long (in extent) (long, extended, stretched)

(adjective)

Nominative, feminine, singular of āyata

āyata - long, extended, stretched

Past Passive Participle

from ā + yam (to stretch)

Prefix: ā

Root: yam (class 1)

Note: Qualifies 'nagarī' and 'laṅkā'.

प्रविश्य (praviśya) - having entered (having entered, after entering)

(indeclinable)

Absolutive (Gerund)

from pra + viś (to enter) + ya suffix

Prefix: pra

Root: viś (class 6)

ताम् (tām) - that (city, Lanka) (that, her)

(pronoun)

Accusative, feminine, singular of tad

tad - that, he, she, it

Note: Direct object of 'praviśya'.

सह (saha) - with (with, accompanied by)

(indeclinable)

अस्माभिः (asmābhiḥ) - with us (by us, with us)

(pronoun)

Instrumental, plural of asmad

asmad - I, we

Note: Governed by 'saha'.

स्वधर्मम् (svadharmam) - one's own intrinsic nature (svadharma) (one's own natural law (dharma), one's duty)

(noun)

Accusative, masculine, singular of svadharma

svadharma - one's own natural law (dharma), intrinsic nature, duty

'sva' (own) + 'dharma' (natural law, duty)

Compound type : tatpuruṣa (sva+dharma)

• sva – own, one's own
  pronoun
  Pronominal adjective.
• dharma – natural law, constitution, intrinsic nature, duty, righteousness
  noun (masculine)
  from root dhṛ (to uphold, support)
  Root: dhṛ (class 1)

Note: Direct object of 'pālaya'.

तत्र (tatra) - there (in Lanka) (there, in that place)

(indeclinable)

Note: Adverb of place modifying 'pālaya'.

पालय (pālaya) - rule, protect (protect, guard, rule, cherish)

(verb)

2nd person , singular, active, imperative (loṭ) of pālaya

From root pā (to protect) + causative suffix -aya. Imperative mood.

Root: pā (class 2)

Note: The main verb of the second clause.

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