Shloka 2
कबन्धवधः
The Severing of Kabandha’s Arms and the Opening of Dialogue
तिष्ठतः किं नु मां दृष्ट्वा क्षुधार्तं क्षत्रियर्षभौ।आहारार्थं तु सन्दिष्टौ दैवेन गतचेतसौ।।।।
tiṣṭhataḥ kiṃ nu māṃ dṛṣṭvā kṣudhārtaṃ kṣatriyarṣabhau | āhārārthaṃ tu sandiṣṭau daivena gatacetasau ||
O Stiere unter den Kṣatriyas! Da ihr mich vom Hunger gequält seht, warum steht ihr reglos da wie ohne Besinnung? Das Schicksal selbst hat euch als meine Speise hierher gesandt.
O tigers among men you are welcome. It is my good luck that I am able to see you. It is my good luck also that the arms that bound you have been amputated.
FAQs
The verse frames a moral tension: brute appetite and fatalism versus human agency. Dharma is tested when violence is justified as “destiny”; the narrative invites the listener to reject fatalistic excuses for adharmic harm.
Kabandha confronts Rama and Lakshmana in the forest, declaring he is hungry and claiming fate has delivered them to be eaten.
Rama and Lakshmana’s steadiness under threat—remaining composed and ready to act rather than freezing in fear.