मुनिवेषं सहस्राक्षं विज्ञाय रघुनन्दन।।1.48.19।। मतिं चकार दुर्मेधा देवराजकुतूहलात्।
Meaning
Knowing him, O delight of Raghu, to be the thousand-eyed one in a sage's disguise, the ill-counselled woman made up her mind, out of curiosity toward the king of gods.
Word-by-word (pada-artha)
| Word | Devanagari | Meaning | Grammatical role |
|---|---|---|---|
| muni-veṣam sahasra-akṣam | मुनि-वेषम् सहस्र-अक्षम् | the thousand-eyed one in the guise of a sage | Accusative singular (x2) |
| vijñāya raghu-nandana | विज्ञाय रघु-नन्दन | having recognized, O delight of the Raghus | Gerund / Vocative |
| matim cakāra dur-medhā | मतिम् चकार दुर्-मेधा | she, of poor judgment, made up her mind | Accusative / Verb (perfect) / Nominative |
| deva-rāja-kutūhalāt | देव-राज-कुतूहलात् | out of curiosity toward the king of gods | Ablative singular |
Scholar commentary
valmikiramayan.net Prose Commentary
Desiraju Hanumanta Rao's prose rendering with embedded explanatory notes
The source paraphrases Ahalya's internal rationalization for consenting despite recognizing the disguise: 'This is none other than Indra wearing my husband's form -- my husband would never approach me this way or disregard proper timing. I have heard Indra has long desired me, and when the king of the gods expresses such a wish, it cannot be refused -- let it happen.'
1 of 16 traditions have commentary on this shloka. Traditions without a verse-specific commentary here are omitted rather than filled in.
Reference: 1.48.19 · Bāla Kāṇḍa