न च पुत्रकृतस्नेहं कर्तुमर्हसि पार्थिव।।1.19.13।। अहं ते प्रतिजानामि हतौ तौ विद्धि राक्षसौ।
Meaning
"O king, you must not let a father's affection sway you — I promise you, consider those rakshasas already slain."
Word-by-word (pada-artha)
| Word | Devanagari | Meaning | Grammatical role |
|---|---|---|---|
| na ca putra-kṛta-sneham | न च पुत्र-कृत-स्नेहम् | and not the affection created by [being his] son | Accusative singular |
| kartum arhasi pārthiva | कर्तुम् अर्हसि पार्थिव | you should act, O king | Verb (present) |
| aham te pratijānāmi | अहम् ते प्रतिजानामि | I promise you | Verb (present) |
| hatau tau viddhi rākṣasau | हतौ तौ विद्धि राक्षसौ | know those two demons as already slain | Verb (imperative) |
Scholar commentary
valmikiramayan.net Prose Commentary
Desiraju Hanumanta Rao's prose rendering with embedded explanatory notes
The source's extended note on this verse's pronoun aham ('I') argues it is used deliberately to assert Vishvamitra's own qualification to know who Rama really is: Vishvamitra was originally a raaja rishi (kingly sage) who became a brahma rishi and performed moksha kaameSTi (an ascesis aimed at liberation), whereas Dasharatha performed putra kaameSTi (a ritual for sons) and remains caught in worldly attachment (moha) newly heightened by fatherhood -- so, in this reading, Dasharatha is not yet positioned to recognize his own son's true nature the way Vishvamitra can. The source further glosses aham vedmi as not merely 'I know' but 'I am in full knowledge of', tying the phrase mahaatmaanam ('sublime soul') to Purusha Sukta's veda aham etam puruSham mahaantam and to Bhagavad Gita 6.30 (yo maam pashyati... me na praNashyati) as scriptural grounding for what it means to truly 'know' a great soul.
1 of 16 traditions have commentary on this shloka. Traditions without a verse-specific commentary here are omitted rather than filled in.
Reference: 1.19.14 · Bāla Kāṇḍa