श्रीवाल्मीकिरुवाच । इति पृष्टो मुनीन्द्रेण समाश्वस्य च राघवः । उवाच वचनं चारु परिपूर्णार्थमन्थरम् ॥ १ ॥
śrīvālmīkiruvāca | iti pṛṣṭō munīndrēṇa samāśvasya ca rāghavaḥ | uvāca vacanaṁ cāru paripūrṇārthamantharam || 1 ||
Translation
Śrī Vālmīki said: So asked by the lord of sages, and reassured, Rāghava spoke words that were lovely, full of meaning and unhurried.
Word by word
- śrī
- Śrī
- vālmīkiḥ
- Vālmīki
- uvāca
- said
- iti
- so
- pṛṣṭō
- (pṛṣṭaḥ) asked
- muni
- of sages
- indrēṇa
- by the lord
- samāśvasya
- reassured
- ca
- and
- rāghavaḥ
- Rāghava
- vacanaṁ
- words
- cāru
- lovely
- paripūrṇa
- full
- artha
- of meaning
- mantharam
- unhurried
Meaning
Viśvāmitra has asked what troubles him (1.11.34–37). For the first time in the work Rāma speaks at length, and from here almost to the end of this part (sargas 12 to 31) the voice is his. The narrator's three words prepare the reader for how to listen: the speech is "lovely" (cāru), so it will hold attention; "full of meaning" (paripūrṇārtha), so nothing in it is idle; and "unhurried" (mantharam), the slow speech of one who has thought long before speaking. What follows is not a complaint but an inquiry.