ततो नारायणो देवो नियुक्तस्सुरसत्तमै:। जानन्नपि सुरानेवं श्लक्ष्णं वचनमब्रवीत्।।1.16.1।।
Meaning
Although the omniscient Lord Narayana already knew the means of Ravana's death, having been petitioned by the foremost gods he spoke to them gently.
Word-by-word (pada-artha)
| Word | Devanagari | Meaning | Grammatical role |
|---|---|---|---|
| tataḥ nārāyaṇaḥ devaḥ | ततः नारायणः देवः | then the god Narayana | Nominative singular |
| niyuktaḥ sura-sattamaiḥ | नियुक्तः सुर-सत्तमैः | appointed by the best of the gods | Nominative singular |
| jānan api surān evam | जानन् अपि सुरान् एवम् | though knowing, to the gods thus | Nominative singular (present participle) |
| ślakṣṇam vacanam abravīt | श्लक्ष्णम् वचनम् अब्रवीत् | spoke this gentle word | Verb (imperfect) |
Scholar commentary
valmikiramayan.net Prose Commentary
Desiraju Hanumanta Rao's prose rendering with embedded explanatory notes
The source glosses the name Vishnu itself as denoting all-pervading omnipresence: vyaapitvaat sarva bhuuteshu vishnurityabhidhiiyate ('because of pervading all beings, he is called Vishnu'), one of his thousand names (vishnu sahasranaama), each elucidating a different attribute.
1 of 16 traditions have commentary on this shloka. Traditions without a verse-specific commentary here are omitted rather than filled in.
Reference: 1.16.1 · Bāla Kāṇḍa