Ramayana — Yuddha Kanda, Sarga 111, Shloka 9
रावणवधः — The Slaying of Ravana
Brahmāstra Discharge
द्वाराणांपरिघाणां च गिरीणांचापिभेदनम् ।नानारुधिरदिग्धाङ्गंमेदोदिग्धंसुदारुणम् ।।।।
dvārāṇāṃ parighāṇāṃ ca girīṇāṃ cāpi bhedanam |
nānārudhiradigdhāṅgaṃ medodigdhaṃ sudāruṇam ||
It was capable of splitting city-gates, iron bars, even mountains—its body smeared with the blood of many foes, and dreadful, bespattered with fat and marrow.
Capable of splitting gateways, iron bars, even mountains, smeared with blood and brain marrow of various Asuras, of dreadful appearance.
FAQs
The verse underscores the grim cost of adharma-driven violence: immense destructive power culminates in horror and ruin, reminding that might without righteousness leads to dreadful ends.
A graphic battlefield description highlights the terrifying, destructive capacity of the weapon/force being described and its blood-smeared aftermath.
Not a virtue but a cautionary contrast: the text foregrounds the consequences of unchecked brutality, implicitly valuing restraint and dharmic conduct over mere power.