वाल्मीकि-रामायणम् vālmīki-rāmāyaṇam - book-7, chapter-79, verse-3

कथं स राजा स्त्रीभूतो वर्तयामास दुर्गतिम् ।
पुरुषो वा यदा भूतः कां वृत्तिं वर्तयत्यसौ ॥३॥

3. kathaṃ sa rājā strībhūto vartayāmāsa durgatim ,
puruṣo vā yadā bhūtaḥ kāṃ vṛttiṃ vartayatyasau.

3. katham saḥ rājā strī bhūtaḥ vartayām āsa durgatim
puruṣaḥ vā yadā bhūtaḥ kām vṛttim vartayati asau

3. katham saḥ rājā strī bhūtaḥ durgatim vartayām āsa
vā yadā puruṣaḥ bhūtaḥ asau kām vṛttim vartayati

3. How did that king, after becoming a woman, endure such difficult circumstances? And what kind of life did he lead when he reverted to being a man?

Words meanings summery:

• कथम् (katham) - how, in what manner

• सः (saḥ) - that, he

• राजा (rājā) - king, ruler

• स्त्री (strī) - woman, female

• भूतः (bhūtaḥ) - having become a woman (having become, being, existing)

• वर्तयाम् (vartayām) - he led, he conducted, he experienced

• आस (āsa) - he was (auxiliary verb)

• दुर्गतिम् (durgatim) - difficult condition, distress, misfortune, bad state

• पुरुषः (puruṣaḥ) - man, male, person

• वा (vā) - or, either... or

• यदा (yadā) - when, whenever

• भूतः (bhūtaḥ) - having become a man (again) (having become, being, existing)

• काम् (kām) - what kind of (what, which)

• वृत्तिम् (vṛttim) - way of life, mode of conduct (conduct, livelihood, way of life, course)

• वर्तयति (vartayati) - he leads, he conducts, he maintains

• असौ (asau) - that king (in his male form) (that one, he, she, it)

Words meanings and morphology

कथम् (katham) - how, in what manner

(indeclinable)

सः (saḥ) - that, he

(pronoun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of tad

tad - that, he, she, it

राजा (rājā) - king, ruler

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of rājan

rājan - king, ruler, sovereign

स्त्री (strī) - woman, female

(noun)

Nominative, feminine, singular of strī

strī - woman, female, wife

Note: Used here as the first part of the compound 'strī-bhūtaḥ'.

भूतः (bhūtaḥ) - having become a woman (having become, being, existing)

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, singular of bhūta

bhūta - become, been, existing, past; a being, creature, element

Past Passive Participle

Derived from the root 'bhū' (to be, to become).

Root: bhū (class 1)

वर्तयाम् (vartayām) - he led, he conducted, he experienced

(verb)

3rd person , singular, active, perfect (periphrastic) (lit) of vartaya

Causal stem of 'vṛt'

This is part of the periphrastic perfect construction 'vartayām āsa'. The 'ām' is a common ending for the first member of such compounds. The root is 'vṛt' (to turn, exist) in its causal form.

Root: vṛt (class 1)

Note: Combined with 'āsa' to form a periphrastic perfect verb.

आस (āsa) - he was (auxiliary verb)

(verb)

3rd person , singular, active, past perfect (lit) of as

Perfect Active

3rd person singular, Perfect Tense, Active Voice, root 'as'. Used as an auxiliary verb for periphrastic perfect.

Root: as (class 2)

Note: Auxiliary verb for periphrastic perfect construction 'vartayām āsa'.

दुर्गतिम् (durgatim) - difficult condition, distress, misfortune, bad state

(noun)

Accusative, feminine, singular of durgati

durgati - difficult state, distress, misfortune, evil course/destiny

Compound type : tatpuruṣa (dur+gati)

• dur – bad, difficult, ill, hard
  indeclinable
  Prefix indicating difficulty or badness.
• gati – going, movement, course, state, condition, destiny
  noun (feminine)
  Derived from root 'gam' (to go).
  Root: gam (class 1)

पुरुषः (puruṣaḥ) - man, male, person

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of puruṣa

puruṣa - man, male, person, human being, spirit

वा (vā) - or, either... or

(indeclinable)

यदा (yadā) - when, whenever

(indeclinable)

भूतः (bhūtaḥ) - having become a man (again) (having become, being, existing)

(adjective)

Nominative, masculine, singular of bhūta

bhūta - become, been, existing, past; a being, creature, element

Past Passive Participle

Derived from the root 'bhū' (to be, to become).

Root: bhū (class 1)

काम् (kām) - what kind of (what, which)

(pronoun)

Accusative, feminine, singular of kim

kim - who, what, which, why

वृत्तिम् (vṛttim) - way of life, mode of conduct (conduct, livelihood, way of life, course)

(noun)

Accusative, feminine, singular of vṛtti

vṛtti - mode of being, conduct, livelihood, profession, state, condition

Derived from the root 'vṛt' (to turn, exist).

Root: vṛt (class 1)

वर्तयति (vartayati) - he leads, he conducts, he maintains

(verb)

3rd person , singular, active, present (lat) of vartaya

Causal stem of 'vṛt', Present Active

3rd person singular, Present Tense, Active Voice, causal stem of root 'vṛt'.

Root: vṛt (class 1)

असौ (asau) - that king (in his male form) (that one, he, she, it)

(pronoun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of adas

adas - that, this, he, she, it (referring to something distant or out of sight)