कौसल्यायै नरपति: पायसार्धं ददौ तदा। अर्धादर्धं ददौ चापि सुमित्रायै नराधिप:।।1.16.27।। कैकेय्यै चावशिष्टार्धं ददौ पुत्रार्थकारणात्। प्रददौ चावशिष्टार्धं पायसस्यामृतोपमम्।।1.16.28।। अनुचिन्त्य सुमित्रायै पुनरेव महीपति:। एवं तासां ददौ राजा भार्याणां पायसं पृथक्।।1.16.29।।
Meaning
The king then gave Kausalya half of the payasam, and of the remaining half gave half again to Sumitra; to Kaikeyi he gave half of what remained for the sake of sons, and after reflecting, gave the last remaining portion to Sumitra once more. Thus the king distributed the payasam separately among his wives.
Word-by-word (pada-artha)
Shloka 1.16.27
| Word | Devanagari | Meaning | Grammatical role |
|---|---|---|---|
| kausalyāyai nara-patiḥ | कौसल्यायै नर-पतिः | to Kausalya, the lord of men | Dative singular |
| pāyasa-ardham dadau tadā | पायस-अर्धम् ददौ तदा | gave half of the rice-pudding then | Verb (perfect) |
| ardhāt ardham dadau ca api | अर्धात् अर्धम् ददौ च अपि | and gave half of [the remaining] half | Verb (perfect) |
| sumitrāyai narādhipaḥ | सुमित्रायै नराधिपः | the lord of men, to Sumitra | Dative singular |
Shloka 1.16.28
| Word | Devanagari | Meaning | Grammatical role |
|---|---|---|---|
| kaikeyyai ca avaśiṣṭa-ardham | कैकेय्यै च अवशिष्ट-अर्धम् | and the remaining half, to Kaikeyi | Accusative singular |
| dadau putra-artha-kāraṇāt | ददौ पुत्र-अर्थ-कारणात् | gave, for the sake and purpose of a son | Verb (perfect) |
| pradadau ca avaśiṣṭa-ardham | प्रददौ च अवशिष्ट-अर्धम् | and gave the remaining half | Verb (perfect) |
| pāyasasya amṣta-upamam | पायसस्य अम्ष्त-उपमम् | of the nectar-like rice-pudding | Genitive singular |
Shloka 1.16.29
| Word | Devanagari | Meaning | Grammatical role |
|---|---|---|---|
| anucintya sumitrāyai | अनुचिन्त्य सुमित्रायै | having reconsidered, to Sumitra | Gerund (having done) |
| punaḥ eva mahī-patiḥ | पुनः एव मही-पतिः | again, the lord of the earth | Nominative singular |
| evam tāsām dadau rājā | एवम् तासाम् ददौ राजा | thus the king gave to those | Verb (perfect) |
| bhāryāṇām pāyasam pṣthak | भार्याणाम् पायसम् प्ष्थक् | wives the rice-pudding separately | Accusative singular |
Scholar commentary
Shloka 1.16.27
valmikiramayan.net Prose Commentary
Desiraju Hanumanta Rao's prose rendering with embedded explanatory notes
(Part of the extended discussion of the payasam's unequal distribution among the three queens -- see the fuller note at shloka 29.)
1 of 16 traditions have commentary on this shloka. Traditions without a verse-specific commentary here are omitted rather than filled in.
Shloka 1.16.28
valmikiramayan.net Prose Commentary
Desiraju Hanumanta Rao's prose rendering with embedded explanatory notes
(Part of the extended discussion of the payasam's unequal distribution among the three queens -- see the fuller note at shloka 29.)
1 of 16 traditions have commentary on this shloka. Traditions without a verse-specific commentary here are omitted rather than filled in.
Shloka 1.16.29
valmikiramayan.net Prose Commentary
Desiraju Hanumanta Rao's prose rendering with embedded explanatory notes
The source notes this exact apportionment -- half to Kausalya, a quarter to Sumitra, an eighth to Kaikeyi, and the final eighth back to Sumitra -- is much discussed by traditionalists, citing the Adhyatma Ramayana's argument linking these shares to the four brothers born from them: Kausalya (half) bears Rama, Sumitra (two eighths total) bears both Lakshmana and Shatrughna, and Kaikeyi (one eighth) bears Bharata. The source is emphatic that the unequal shares do not imply unequal divinity -- the Absolute cannot be divided into literal fractions, so the dessert functions only as a medium enabling the incarnation, not as the incarnation's substance being parceled out. It also notes a related traditional reading in which Rama is Vishnu himself, Bharata and Shatrughna are his Disc and Conch, and Lakshmana is Adishesha, the serpent Vishnu reclines on -- while adding that Rama himself, throughout the epic, never claims divinity and calls himself only nimitta maatra, an incidental instrument of events, which the source reads as evidence Rama is best understood as maryaada purushottama (the ideal virtuous man) rather than a fractional avatar. Separately, the order and timing of the queens' drinking -- Kausalya first and immediately, Sumitra waiting, Kaikeyi waiting longer still -- is cited by some traditional commentators as the basis for treating Rama as the eldest son and therefore eligible for the crown prince title later in the epic.
1 of 16 traditions have commentary on this shloka. Traditions without a verse-specific commentary here are omitted rather than filled in.
Reference: 1.16.27-29 · Bāla Kāṇḍa