त्वया तस्मै वरो दत्त: प्रीतेन भगवन्पुरा। मानयन्तश्च तं नित्यं सर्वं तस्य क्षमामहे।।1.15.7।।
Meaning
"O Lord, pleased with him long ago, you granted him a boon — and out of respect for that boon, we endure all his cruelty always."
Word-by-word (pada-artha)
| Word | Devanagari | Meaning | Grammatical role |
|---|---|---|---|
| tvayā tasmai varaḥ dattaḥ | त्वया तस्मै वरः दत्तः | by you, a boon was given to him | Nominative singular (past participle) |
| prītena bhagavan purā | प्रीतेन भगवन् पुरा | being pleased, O blessed one, formerly | Instrumental singular |
| mānayantaḥ ca tam nityam | मानयन्तः च तम् नित्यम् | and honoring him always | Nominative plural (present participle) |
| sarvam tasya kṣamāmahe | सर्वम् तस्य क्षमामहे | we forbear everything from him | Verb (present, middle) |
Scholar commentary
valmikiramayan.net Prose Commentary
Desiraju Hanumanta Rao's prose rendering with embedded explanatory notes
The source is explicit that Hindu mythology has no devils as such, only rakshasas -- fallen celestials who take mortal birth, receive Vedic education, perform rituals and penance, and earn boons from one of the Trinity (Brahma, Vishnu, or Shiva), then turn against their own patron once emboldened by those boons, attempting an impossible ascension to the heavens. The source explicitly asks the reader not to read 'demon' here as a wicked, monstrous devil-figure: Ravana himself is described as a Brahmin, versed in all the Vedas, a musicologist, and a legitimate king of Lanka -- his villainy is a matter of will and ambition, not species.
1 of 16 traditions have commentary on this shloka. Traditions without a verse-specific commentary here are omitted rather than filled in.
Reference: 1.15.7 · Bāla Kāṇḍa