पठन्द्विजो वागृषभत्वमीयात् स्यात्क्षत्रियो भूमिपतित्वमीयात् । वणिग्जन: पण्यफलत्वमीयात् जनश्च शूद्रोऽपि महत्वमीयात् ।।1.1.100।।
Meaning
By reading this, a Brahmin gains excellence in speech and learning, a kshatriya gains lordship of land, a vaishya gains wealth and success in trade, and even a shudra attains greatness -- so ends the first sarga of Bala Kanda, the epic Ramayana composed by sage Valmiki.
Word-by-word (pada-artha)
| Word | Devanagari | Meaning | Grammatical role |
|---|---|---|---|
| paṭhan | पठन् | reading (this) | Present participle |
| dvijo | द्विजो | a Brahmin (twice-born) | Nominative singular -- subject |
| vāgṛṣabhatvam | वागृषभत्वम् | excellence/foremost standing in speech | Accusative -- abstract noun, object |
| īyāt | ईयात् | would attain | Optative verb |
| kṣatriyo | क्षत्रियो | a Kshatriya | Nominative singular -- subject |
| bhūmipatitvam | भूमिपतित्वम् | lordship of the land | Accusative -- abstract noun, object |
| vaṇigjanaḥ | वणिग्जनः | a merchant | Nominative singular -- subject |
| paṇyaphalatvam | पण्यफलत्वम् | success and profit in trade | Accusative -- abstract noun, object |
| janaśca śūdro'pi | जनश्च शूद्रोऽपि | and even a person born a shudra | Nominative singular -- subject |
| mahatvam | महत्वम् | greatness | Accusative -- abstract noun, object |
Scholar commentary
IIT Kanpur English Commentary
Modern synthesis of traditional Sanskrit commentaries (Desiraju Hanumanta Rao & K.M.K. Murthy)
(Part of the closing benefits passage -- see the fuller note under shloka 98.)
1 of 16 traditions have commentary on this shloka. Traditions without a verse-specific commentary here are omitted rather than filled in.
Reference: 1.1.100 · Bāla Kāṇḍa