अनृतं नोक्तपूर्वं मे न च वक्ष्ये कदाचन। कृच्छ्रेष्वपि गत स्सौम्य क्षत्रधर्मेण ते शपे।।1.58.19।।
Meaning
I have never before spoken falsehood, nor shall I ever speak it; even in hardship, gentle one, I swear this to you by my kshatriya duty.
Word-by-word (pada-artha)
| Word | Devanagari | Meaning | Grammatical role |
|---|---|---|---|
| anṛtam na ukta-pūrvam me | अनृतम् न उक्त-पूर्वम् मे | untruth has not been spoken before by me | Nominative / Negation / Nominative / Genitive |
| na ca vakṣye kadācana | न च वक्ष्ये कदाचन | nor shall I speak it ever | Negation / Adverbial / Verb (future) / Adverbial |
| kṛcchreṣu api gataḥ saumya | कृच्छ्रेषु अपि गतः सौम्य | even having fallen into hardships, O gentle one | Locative plural / Adverbial / Nominative / Vocative |
| kṣatra-dharmeṇa te śape | क्षत्र-धर्मेण ते शपे | by the duty of a Kshatriya I swear to you | Instrumental / Genitive / Verb (present) |
Scholar commentary
valmikiramayan.net Prose Commentary
Desiraju Hanumanta Rao's prose rendering with embedded explanatory notes
The source cites the maxim 'yajno anrite na rakshati' -- 'a Vedic ritual does not protect a liar' -- underscoring that a liar is inevitably hell-bound regardless of ritual performance, which is why Trishanku is so emphatic about swearing his sincerity by his kshatriya honor.
1 of 16 traditions have commentary on this shloka. Traditions without a verse-specific commentary here are omitted rather than filled in.
Reference: 1.58.19 · Bāla Kāṇḍa