Shloka 18
विभीषणोपदेशः
Vibhishana’s Counsel to Ravana and the Catalogue of Omens
खरोष्ट्राश्वतराराजभनभिन्नरोमास्स्रवन्तिच ।नस्वभावेऽवतिष्ठन्तिविधानैरपिचिन्तिताः ।।।।
kharoṣṭrāśvatarā rājan bhinnaromāḥ sravanti ca | na svabhāve 'vatiṣṭhanti vidhānair api cintitāḥ ||
O König, Esel, Kamele und Maultiere verlieren ihr Haar, nässen und klagen; selbst mit mancherlei Heilmitteln bedacht, kehren sie nicht in ihren natürlichen Zustand zurück.
"O King! the donkeys and camels have shed their body hair and are crying. Even though they are treated for it in different ways they are not getting to be in normal natural form."
FAQs
When wrongdoing becomes entrenched, superficial fixes fail; true remedy is returning to dharma—correcting the root moral violation.
Vibhīṣaṇa stresses that the kingdom’s disorder is not easily curable, strengthening his warning that Rāvaṇa must change course.
Integrity in counsel: he does not minimize the severity of the signs, even before a powerful king.