वाल्मीकि-रामायणम् vālmīki-rāmāyaṇam - book-7, chapter-24, verse-8

कथं नु खलु मे पुत्रः करिष्यति मया विना ।
कथं माता कथं भ्राता निमग्नाः शोकसागरे ॥८॥

8. kathaṃ nu khalu me putraḥ kariṣyati mayā vinā ,
kathaṃ mātā kathaṃ bhrātā nimagnāḥ śokasāgare.

8. katham nu khalu me putraḥ kariṣyati mayā vinā
katham mātā katham bhrātā nimagnāḥ śokāsāgare

8. me putraḥ mayā vinā katham nu khalu kariṣyati
katham mātā katham bhrātā śokāsāgare nimagnāḥ

8. How indeed will my son manage without me? How will my mother and brother fare, immersed in an ocean of grief (śoka)?

Words meanings summery:

• कथम् (katham) - how, in what manner, why

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

• खलु (khalu) - indeed (emphatic particle) (indeed, certainly)

• मे (me) - my, to me

• पुत्रः (putraḥ) - son

• करिष्यति (kariṣyati) - will manage (to live/cope) (will do, will fare, will manage)

• मया (mayā) - by me

• विना (vinā) - without, except

• कथम् (katham) - how, in what manner, why

• माता (mātā) - mother

• कथम् (katham) - how, in what manner, why

• भ्राता (bhrātā) - brother

• निमग्नाः (nimagnāḥ) - immersed (in the ocean of grief) (immersed, drowned, submerged)

• शोकासागरे (śokāsāgare) - in the ocean of sorrow/grief

Words meanings and morphology

कथम् (katham) - how, in what manner, why

(indeclinable)

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

(indeclinable)

खलु (khalu) - indeed (emphatic particle) (indeed, certainly)

(indeclinable)

मे (me) - my, to me

(pronoun)

Genitive, singular of asmad

asmad - I, me

Note: Possessive pronoun, 'my'.

पुत्रः (putraḥ) - son

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of putra

putra - son, child

करिष्यति (kariṣyati) - will manage (to live/cope) (will do, will fare, will manage)

(verb)

3rd person , singular, active, future (lṛṭ) of kṛ

Future tense (lṛṭ) of kṛ (class 8)

Root: kṛ (class 8)

मया (mayā) - by me

(pronoun)

Instrumental, singular of asmad

asmad - I, me

Note: Used with 'vinā' (without).

विना (vinā) - without, except

(indeclinable)

कथम् (katham) - how, in what manner, why

(indeclinable)

Note: Repeated to emphasize the distress concerning mother and brother.

माता (mātā) - mother

(noun)

Nominative, feminine, singular of mātṛ

mātṛ - mother

कथम् (katham) - how, in what manner, why

(indeclinable)

Note: Repeated to emphasize the distress concerning mother and brother.

भ्राता (bhrātā) - brother

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of bhrātṛ

bhrātṛ - brother

निमग्नाः (nimagnāḥ) - immersed (in the ocean of grief) (immersed, drowned, submerged)

(participle)

Nominative, feminine, plural of nimagna

nimagna - immersed, drowned, submerged, sunk

Past Passive Participle

From verb nimajj (ni + majj)

Prefix: ni

Root: majj (class 6)

Note: Refers to the mother and brother collectively.

शोकासागरे (śokāsāgare) - in the ocean of sorrow/grief

(noun)

Locative, masculine, singular of śokāsāgara

śokāsāgara - ocean of sorrow/grief

Compound type : tatpurusha (śoka+sāgara)

• śoka – grief, lamentation, anguish
  noun (masculine)
• sāgara – ocean, sea
  noun (masculine)

Note: Metaphorical expression for intense grief.