गणिकास्तत्र गच्छन्तु रूपवत्यस्स्वलङ्कृता:। प्रलोभ्य विविधोपायैरानेष्यन्तीह सत्कृता:।।1.10.5।।
Meaning
"Let beautiful, richly adorned courtesans go there; tempting him by various means, let them respectfully bring him back."
Word-by-word (pada-artha)
| Word | Devanagari | Meaning | Grammatical role |
|---|---|---|---|
| gaṇikāḥ | गणिकाः | courtesans | Nominative plural |
| tatra gacchantu | तत्र गच्छन्तु | let them go there | Verb (imperative) |
| rūpavatyaḥ | रूपवत्यः | beautiful ones | Nominative plural |
| su-alaṅkṛtāḥ | सु-अलङ्कृताः | well-adorned | Nominative plural |
| pralobhya | प्रलोभ्य | having enticed | Gerund (having done) |
| vividha-upāyaiḥ | विविध-उपायैः | by various means | Instrumental plural |
| āneṣyanti | आनेष्यन्ति | shall bring | Verb (future) |
| iha | इह | here | Indeclinable/particle |
| sat-kṛtāḥ | सत्-कृताः | duly honored | Nominative plural |
Scholar commentary
valmikiramayan.net Prose Commentary
Desiraju Hanumanta Rao's prose rendering with embedded explanatory notes
The source cautions against reading 'courtesan' here as simply 'whore' or 'prostitute'. In the Indian context these women belonged to a recognized artist caste/class, parallel to the deva-dasi (temple dancer) system alongside the four-caste structure -- trained and credentialed in the traditional sixty-four arts (chatuHsaSTi kalaa), spanning music, dance, drama, sculpture, and painting (the source notes even the art of thievery was formally included). Kings employed these women, called deva-dasis, in political and diplomatic pursuits, which is exactly the role Romapada's ministers are proposing here.
1 of 16 traditions have commentary on this shloka. Traditions without a verse-specific commentary here are omitted rather than filled in.
Reference: 1.10.5 · Bāla Kāṇḍa