Ramayana — Yuddha Kanda, Sarga 112, Shloka 6
रावणवधोत्तरं विभीषणशोकः—क्षत्रधर्मोपदेशः
Vibhishana’s Lament after Ravana’s Fall; Instruction on Kshatriya-Dharma
गतस्सेतुस्सुनीतीनांगतोधर्मस्यविग्रहः ।।।।गतस्सत्त्वस्यसङ्क्षेपःप्रस्तावानांगतिर्गता ।आदित्यःपतितोभूमौमग्नस्तमसिचन्द्रमाः ।।।।चित्रभानुःप्रशान्तार्चिर्व्यवसायोनिरुद्यमः ।अस्मिन्निपतितेवीरे भूमौशस्त्रभृतांवरे ।।।।
gatas setus sunītīnāṃ gato dharmasya vigrahaḥ | gatas sattvasya saṅkṣepaḥ prastāvānāṃ gatir gatā | ādityaḥ patito bhūmau magnas tamasi candramāḥ | citrabhānuḥ praśāntārciḥ vyavasāyo nirudyamaḥ | asmin nipatite vīre bhūmau śastrabhṛtāṃ vare ||
With this foremost of weapon-bearers fallen to the ground, it is as though the boundary of prudent conduct has vanished, the very embodiment of dharma has departed, the treasury of strength has been cast down, and what was worthy and fitting has lost its course. It is as if the sun has fallen to earth, the moon has sunk into darkness, fire has gone out, and human resolve has become inert.
" As this hero, the wielder of weapons has fallen down on ground, the prudent one who was at boundary, disappeared; he who was the form of righteousness, departed; he who was a repository of might, thrown down and out of sight; he, who was praiseworthy for all, lost position. With the hero falling down, it seems the Sun has fallen down, the moon plunged into darkness, fire became extinct, and the enthusiasm of people wasted."
FAQs
It frames the fall of a great figure as a collapse of order: dharma is portrayed as the stabilizing ‘setu’ (boundary/restraint) of society, and its loss creates moral and psychological darkness.
A heightened poetic lament immediately after Rāvaṇa’s fall, using cosmic metaphors (sun, moon, fire) to express the shock to Laṅkā’s world.
Recognition of moral order: even amid enmity, the speaker acknowledges the stature and societal impact of a fallen warrior-king.