सोऽहं पितुर्वचश्श्रुत्वा शासनाद्ब्रह्मवादिन:। करिष्यामि न सन्देहस्ताटकावधमुत्तमम्।।1.26.4।।
Meaning
Having heard my father's word and the command of this speaker of Brahman, I shall without doubt accomplish the excellent slaying of Tataka.
Word-by-word (pada-artha)
| Word | Devanagari | Meaning | Grammatical role |
|---|---|---|---|
| saḥ aham pituḥ vacaḥ śrutvā | सः अहम् पितुः वचः श्रुत्वा | I, having heard my father's word | Gerund (having done) |
| śāsanāt brahma-vādinaḥ | शासनात् ब्रह्म-वादिनः | by the injunction of this expounder of Brahman | Ablative singular / Genitive |
| kariṣyāmi na sandehaḥ | करिष्यामि न सन्देहः | shall do; there is no doubt | Verb (future) / Nominative singular |
| tāṭakā-vadham uttamam | ताटका-वधम् उत्तमम् | the excellent slaying of Tataka | Accusative singular |
Scholar commentary
valmikiramayan.net Prose Commentary
Desiraju Hanumanta Rao's prose rendering with embedded explanatory notes
The source draws a direct parallel to Arjuna's dilemma in the Bhagavad Gita: just as Arjuna is torn over killing his own kinsmen, Rama is torn over killing a female opponent, and the resolution offered is structurally the same one Krishna gives Arjuna -- a kshatriya's duty is to protect virtue and eradicate vice regardless of who or what embodies it. It cites the Dharmakuutam directly on this point: strii vadha niSedhe satya api taaDakaa vadham a~Ngiikr^itavaan -- 'even though the killing of a woman is generally prohibited, [Rama] accepted the killing of Tataka [as an exception].'
1 of 16 traditions have commentary on this shloka. Traditions without a verse-specific commentary here are omitted rather than filled in.
Reference: 1.26.4 · Bāla Kāṇḍa