Ramayana — Yuddha Kanda, Sarga 114, Shloka 6
रावणस्य अन्त्येष्टिः
Ravana’s Funeral Rites and the Ethics of Post-War Conduct
कथंत्रैलोक्यमाक्रम्यश्रियावीर्येणचान्वितम् ।अविषह्यंजघानत्वांमानुषोवनगोचरः ।।।।
kathaṃ trailokyam ākramya śriyā vīryeṇa cānvitam | aviṣahyaṃ jaghāna tvāṃ mānuṣo vanagocaraḥ ||
How could a mere human—one who ranged the forests—strike you down, you who had overrun the three worlds, endowed with splendor and valor, seemingly unbearable to oppose?
"King! Chaste women of noble lineage being righteous, serving the elders have been widowed by you. Because of their curse, you have fallen under the sway of your enemy and because of that, this has come to you."
FAQs
It warns against arrogance: violating dharma makes even the seemingly invincible fall—often through an instrument that appears ‘ordinary’.
Mandodarī marvels at the reversal of fortune: the conqueror of worlds is slain by a ‘human’ forest-ranging hero (Rāma).
Recognition of a higher moral order: the epic suggests that dharma empowers the righteous beyond conventional measures of might.