Valmiki Ramayana 6.113.8 — Yuddha Kanda, Sarga 113, Shloka 8
रावणवधदर्शनम्
Lament of the Rākṣasa Women upon Seeing Rāvaṇa Slain
बहुमानात्परिष्वज्यकाचिदेवंरुरोद ह ।चरणौकाचिदालम्ब्यकाचित्कण्ठेऽवलम्ब्य च ।।।।
bahumānāt pariṣvajya kācid evaṃ ruroda ha |
caraṇau kācid ālambya kācit kaṇṭhe 'valambya ca ||
ومن فرط الإجلال، عانقته بعضهن وارتفع بكاؤهن؛ وتعلّقت أخريات بقدميه وهنّ يذرفن الدموع، وتشبّثت أخريات بعنقه باكيات.
Indeed, out of respect some embraced him and roared aloud, some held his feet and wept, some held his neck and started weeping.
FAQs
Even amid war and wrongdoing, the text acknowledges natural human bonds—respect, attachment, and grief. Dharma here is the truthful recognition of lived relationships and the inevitability of suffering that follows adharma-driven conflict.
After Rāvaṇa has been slain, the rākṣasa women gather around his body and mourn in different ways—embracing, clinging to his feet, and holding his neck.
Not a single hero’s virtue, but the sincerity of grief and loyalty among the mourners—showing how attachment persists even when outcomes are tragic.
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