Shloka 17
दूतधर्म-परामर्शः
Envoy-Immunity and Royal Counsel in Ravana’s Court
न धर्मवादे न च लोकवृत्ते न शास्त्रबुद्धिग्रहणेषु चापि।विद्येत कश्चित्तव वीर तुल्य स्त्वंह्युत्तमस्सर्वसुरासुराणाम्।।।।
na dharmavāde na ca lokavṛtte na śāstrabuddhigrahaṇeṣu cāpi | vidyeta kaścit tava vīra tulyaḥ tvaṁ hy uttamaḥ sarva-surāsurāṇām ||
O Held! In Gesprächen über Dharma, in weltlicher Staatskunst und sogar im Erfassen der Bedeutung der Shastras ist niemand dir ebenbürtig. Wahrlich, du bist der Erste unter allen Devas und Asuras.
"Heroic Ravana! there is hardly any one who is equal to you in the knowledge of dharma, in the practice of worldly affairs and in grasping subtle truths of sastras. Indeed you are supreme among suras and asuras.
FAQs
The verse frames dharma as something to be understood in three domains—moral discourse, practical worldly conduct, and śāstric insight—suggesting that true excellence should harmonize ethics, lived practice, and scriptural wisdom (even though the praise is rhetorically aimed at persuading Rāvaṇa).
In Laṅkā, after Hanumān is captured, Vibhīṣaṇa speaks in Rāvaṇa’s court, using respectful and strategic praise as he begins to argue against killing an envoy.
Vibhīṣaṇa’s virtue of prudent counsel (nīti) is emphasized—he chooses persuasive speech to redirect Rāvaṇa toward a dharmic course.