← 3.38.9 · Araṇya Kāṇḍa 38: Rāvaṇa compels Mārīca · 3.38.11 →

Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 3.38.10

Araṇya Kāṇḍa, sarga 38: Rāvaṇa compels Mārīca. He rejects unwelcome advice, offers half his Kingdom for help and threatens immediate death if Mārīca refuses the deer disguise

In the sequence: he lectures him on a minister's obligation to address a King respectfully and avoid unwelcome words

3.38.10

vākyam apratikūlaṃ tu mṛdupūrvaṃ śubhaṃ hitam
upacāreṇa yuktaṃ ca vaktavyo vasudhādhipaḥ

The lord of the earth must be addressed with words that are not disagreeable, gentle, auspicious, beneficial, and coupled with courtesy.

Words: vākyam — words; apratikūlaṃ — not disagreeable; tu — indeed; mṛdupūrvaṃ — gentle (preceded by softness); śubhaṃ — auspicious; hitam — beneficial; upacāreṇa — with courtesy, civility; yuktaṃ ca — and coupled with; vaktavyo — to be addressed; vasudhādhipaḥ — the lord of the earth

Composed by Maharṣi Vālmīki, the ādikavi of the ādikāvya: the first poet of the first poem. Sanskrit: The Vālmīki-Rāmāyaṇa: Critical Edition, Oriental Institute, Baroda, 1960–1975 (gen. eds. G. H. Bhatt, U. P. Shah); IAST from GRETIL (Göttingen). Translation and word glosses: Claude Opus 4.6–4.7; summaries and sequences: ChatGPT Astra (machine-made). Numbering follows the Critical Edition, not the vulgate (e.g. Gita Press, valmikiramayan.net), so sarga and verse numbers can differ from those editions.