अथ लक्ष्मणशत्रुघ्नौ सुमित्राऽजनयत्सुतौ।।1.18.13।। वीरौ सर्वास्त्रकुशलौ विष्णोरर्धसमन्वितौ।
Meaning
Then Sumitra gave birth to two sons, Lakshmana and Shatrughna, heroic and skilled in every weapon, sharing Vishnu's essence.
Word-by-word (pada-artha)
| Word | Devanagari | Meaning | Grammatical role |
|---|---|---|---|
| atha lakṣmaṇa-śatrughnau | अथ लक्ष्मण-शत्रुघ्नौ | then Lakshmana and Shatrughna | Accusative dual |
| sumitrā ajanayat sutau | सुमित्रा अजनयत् सुतौ | Sumitra gave birth to two sons | Verb (imperfect) |
| vīrau sarva-astra-kuśalau | वीरौ सर्व-अस्त्र-कुशलौ | two heroes, skilled in every weapon | Accusative dual |
| viṣṇoḥ ardha-samanvitau | विष्णोः अर्ध-समन्वितौ | endowed with the [remaining] half of Vishnu | Accusative dual |
Scholar commentary
valmikiramayan.net Prose Commentary
Desiraju Hanumanta Rao's prose rendering with embedded explanatory notes
The source cites Schlegel's observation that despite being named before the twins in this verse, Bharata was actually the youngest of the four brothers -- born under Pushya (properly the eighth lunar mansion, not a month name as sometimes assumed) with Pisces ascending, roughly eleven months after Rama, while Lakshmana and Shatrughna were born under Aslesha ('the serpent') with Cancer rising. The source notes this eleven-month gap isn't evident from the verse's own wording and may derive from a different recension.
1 of 16 traditions have commentary on this shloka. Traditions without a verse-specific commentary here are omitted rather than filled in.
Reference: 1.18.14 · Bāla Kāṇḍa