यदहं वच्मि तद्यत्नात्त्वया शब्दार्थकोविद । एतद्वस्त्विति निर्णीय हृदि कार्यमखण्डितम् ॥ ५२ ॥
yadahaṁ vacmi tadyatnāttvayā śabdārthakōvida | ētadvastviti nirṇīya hṛdi kāryamakhaṇḍitam || 52 ||
Translation
Whatever I say, you who know words and their sense must take with care into your heart, entire, having decided: this is the real thing.
Word by word
- yad
- whatever
- ahaṁ
- I
- vacmi
- say
- tad
- that
- yatnāt
- with care
- tvayā
- by you
- śabda
- words
- artha
- and their sense
- kōvida
- you who know
- ētad
- this
- vastu
- the real thing
- iti
- thus
- nirṇīya
- having decided
- hṛdi
- into your heart
- kāryam
- must be taken
- akhaṇḍitam
- entire
Meaning
A demand that follows from the even match. Etad vastu iti nirṇīya, deciding that this is the thing itself. Akhaṇḍitam, unbroken: it is not to be taken in pieces, keeping what is agreeable and dropping the rest. Note the address, śabdārtha-kovida: one skilled in word and meaning. Rāma's cleverness with language is no obstacle, so long as it is put in the service of the heart, where the verse says the teaching must finally be lodged.