Shloka 2.14Unverified draft
तत: करुणवेदित्वादधर्मोऽयमिति द्विज: । निशाम्य रुदतीं क्रौञ्चीमिदं वचनमब्रवीत् ।।1.2.14।।
Meaning
Moved by compassion and judging the killing unjust, he heard the female krauncha's lament and spoke these words.
Word-by-word (pada-artha)
| Word | Devanagari | Meaning | Grammatical role |
|---|---|---|---|
| tataḥ | ततः | thereupon | Adverb — sequential |
| karuṇaveditvāt | करुणवेदित्वात् | because of his sensitivity to compassion | Ablative of cause |
| adharmaḥ ayam | अधर्मोऽयम् | 'this is unrighteous' | Quoted judgement — nominative |
| iti | इति | thus (marks the quotation) | Quotative particle |
| dvijaḥ | द्विजः | the twice-born one (Valmiki) | Subject — nominative singular |
| niśāmya | निशाम्य | having heard | Absolutive |
| rudatīm | रुदतीम् | weeping | Present participle feminine — accusative |
| krauñcīm | क्रौञ्चीम् | the female krauncha | Object of niśāmya — accusative |
| idam vacanam | इदं वचनम् | these words | Object — accusative singular |
| abravīt | अब्रवीत् | spoke | Main verb — imperfect 3rd sg |
Scholar commentary
valmikiramayan.net Prose Commentary
Desiraju Hanumanta Rao's prose rendering with embedded explanatory notes
Valmiki's compassion is described as arising specifically from judging the killing unjust, not merely from witnessing death -- the text is careful to distinguish sympathy from a moral verdict, since the verdict is what produces the curse in the next verse.
1 of 16 traditions have commentary on this shloka. Traditions without a verse-specific commentary here are omitted rather than filled in.
Reference: 1.2.14 · Bāla Kāṇḍa