Shloka 20
मारीचस्य रावणं प्रति नीत्युपदेशः
Maricha’s Counsel on Kingship and Ruin to Ravana
निवार्यमाणस्तु मया हितैषिणा न मृष्यसे वाक्यमिदं निशाचर।परेतकल्पा हि गतायुषो नरा हितं न गृह्णन्ति सुहृद्भिरीरितम्।।।।
nivāryamāṇas tu mayā hitaiṣiṇā na mṛṣyase vākyam idaṃ niśācara | paretakalpā hi gatāyuṣo narā hitaṃ na gṛhṇanti suhṛdbhir īritam ||
O Nachtwandler (Rāvaṇa), obgleich ich dich als Wohlgesinnter zurückhalte, nimmst du diese Worte nicht an. Denn Menschen, deren Lebenszeit verzehrt ist—gleichsam schon tot—nehmen den heilsamen Rat der Freunde nicht zu Herzen.
O Ravana, you do not understand this word of warning coming from your well-wisher. Men who are going to die do not heed the advice given by their friends.ityārṣē śrīmadrāmāyaṇē vālmīkīya ādikāvyē araṇyakāṇḍē ēkacatvāriṅśassargaḥ৷৷Thus ends the fortyfirst sarga of Aranyakanda of the holy Ramayana the first epic composed by sage Valmiki.
FAQs
Dharma here is the duty to heed हित (beneficial counsel) from a सुहृद् (true friend). Rejecting well-meant warning due to pride is portrayed as a sign of moral and spiritual decline leading toward destruction.
Mārīca warns Rāvaṇa against his reckless plan (the abduction of Sītā) and laments that Rāvaṇa, though advised by a well-wisher, refuses to accept restraint or correction.
The virtue emphasized is wise receptivity (listening to good counsel) and humility. By contrast, Rāvaṇa’s obstinate pride is framed as a mark of one moving toward inevitable death.