वाल्मीकि-रामायणम् vālmīki-rāmāyaṇam - book-7, chapter-42, verse-4

ततः कथायां कस्यां चिद् राघवः समभाषत ।
काः कथा नगरे भद्र वर्तन्ते विषयेषु च ॥४॥

4. tataḥ kathāyāṃ kasyāṃ cid rāghavaḥ samabhāṣata ,
kāḥ kathā nagare bhadra vartante viṣayeṣu ca.

4. tataḥ kathāyām kasyām cit rāghavaḥ samabhāṣata
kāḥ kathāḥ nagare bhadra vartante viṣayeṣu ca

4. tataḥ kasyām cit kathāyām rāghavaḥ samabhāṣata
bhadra nagare viṣayeṣu ca kāḥ kathāḥ vartante

4. Then, during one of the stories, Rāghava said, "O venerable one, what stories are circulating in the city and its surrounding regions?"

Words meanings summery:

• ततः (tataḥ) - then (then, thereupon, from that)

• कथायाम् (kathāyām) - in the story (in the story, in the tale)

• कस्याम् (kasyām) - in some (in which, in some)

• चित् (cit) - making 'kasyām' indefinite ('some') (an enclitic particle, giving an indefinite sense (e.g., 'some', 'any'))

• राघवः (rāghavaḥ) - Rāghava (Rāghava, Rāma)

• समभाषत (samabhāṣata) - he spoke (he spoke, he conversed)

• काः (kāḥ) - what (what (feminine plural))

• कथाः (kathāḥ) - stories (stories, tales)

• नगरे (nagare) - in the city

• भद्र (bhadra) - O venerable one (O auspicious one, O good one, O venerable one)

• वर्तन्ते (vartante) - they are circulating (they exist, they are, they circulate)

• विषयेषु (viṣayeṣu) - in the regions/districts (in the regions, in the districts, in the subjects)

• च (ca) - and (and, also)

Words meanings and morphology

ततः (tataḥ) - then (then, thereupon, from that)

(indeclinable)

कथायाम् (kathāyām) - in the story (in the story, in the tale)

(noun)

Locative, feminine, singular of kathā

kathā - story, tale, narrative

कस्याम् (kasyām) - in some (in which, in some)

(pronoun)

Locative, feminine, singular of kim

kim - who, what, which

Note: Modifies 'kathāyām'.

चित् (cit) - making 'kasyām' indefinite ('some') (an enclitic particle, giving an indefinite sense (e.g., 'some', 'any'))

(indeclinable)

Note: Used with interrogative pronouns to make them indefinite.

राघवः (rāghavaḥ) - Rāghava (Rāghava, Rāma)

(proper noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of rāghava

rāghava - descendant of Raghu, an epithet for Rāma

Note: Subject of 'samabhāṣata'.

समभाषत (samabhāṣata) - he spoke (he spoke, he conversed)

(verb)

3rd person , singular, middle, imperfect past (luṅ) of sam-bhāṣ

Prefix: sam

Root: bhāṣ (class 1)

काः (kāḥ) - what (what (feminine plural))

(pronoun)

Nominative, feminine, plural of kim

kim - who, what, which

Note: Interrogative pronoun, modifying 'kathāḥ'.

कथाः (kathāḥ) - stories (stories, tales)

(noun)

Nominative, feminine, plural of kathā

kathā - story, tale, narrative

Note: Subject of 'vartante'.

नगरे (nagare) - in the city

(noun)

Locative, neuter, singular of nagara

nagara - city, town

भद्र (bhadra) - O venerable one (O auspicious one, O good one, O venerable one)

(adjective)

Vocative, masculine, singular of bhadra

bhadra - auspicious, good, gentle, venerable

Note: An address to a respected person.

वर्तन्ते (vartante) - they are circulating (they exist, they are, they circulate)

(verb)

3rd person , plural, middle, present indicative (laṭ) of vṛt

Root: vṛt (class 1)

विषयेषु (viṣayeṣu) - in the regions/districts (in the regions, in the districts, in the subjects)

(noun)

Locative, masculine, plural of viṣaya

viṣaya - region, district, territory; object of sense, subject

च (ca) - and (and, also)

(indeclinable)