Ramayana — Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 21, Shloka 27
अयोध्याकाण्डे एकविंशः सर्गः
Lakṣmaṇa’s militant counsel and Rāma’s dharma-based persuasion of Kausalyā
ततस्त्वं प्राप्स्यसे पुत्र निरयं लोकविश्रुतम्।ब्रह्महत्यामिवाधर्मात्समुद्र स्सरितां पतिः।।2.21.27।।
tatas tvaṃ prāpsyase putra nirayaṃ lokaviśrutam | brahmahatyām ivādharmāt samudraḥ saritāṃ patiḥ || 2.21.27 ||
Dann, mein Sohn, wirst du eine in der Welt berüchtigte Hölle erreichen—so wie der Ozean, der Herr der Flüsse, durch adharmahaftes Verhalten eine Sünde auf sich lud, die dem Brahmahatyā, dem Brahmanenmord, gleicht.
O son! you will then fall into hell. As well-known in the world, the ocean, the lord of rivers, incurred the guilt of slaying a brahmin through unrighteous conduct.
FAQs
The verse asserts karmic consequence: acting from adharma leads to grave spiritual downfall, illustrated through a mythic exemplum (the ocean’s incurred guilt).
Kausalyā escalates her plea into a moral warning, suggesting that abandoning her would be unrighteous and yield terrible consequences.
Moral seriousness about dharma and the belief that actions—especially toward parents—carry heavy karmic weight.