Shloka 47
रावणस्य अन्त्येष्टिः
Ravana’s Funeral Rites and the Ethics of Post-War Conduct
हास्वप्नस्सत्यमेवेदंत्वंरामेणकथंहतः ।।।।त्वंमृत्योरपिमृत्युस्स्याःकथंमृत्युवशंगत:
hā svapnaḥ satyam evedaṃ tvaṃ rāmeṇa kathaṃ hataḥ | tvaṃ mṛtyor api mṛtyuḥ syāḥ kathaṃ mṛtyuvaśaṃ gataḥ ||
Ach! Ist dies ein Traum oder ist es wahr? Wie wurdest du von Rama getötet? Du, der du selbst für den Tod der Tod warst – wie bist du unter die Herrschaft des Todes geraten?
"Ha! Could it be a dream? Is it true? How could you be killed by Rama? You who can kill death also, how did you fall prey to death?"
FAQs
The verse underscores that no worldly power can overrule the moral and cosmic order: arrogance that defies Dharma ultimately meets death, while Satya (the reality of consequence) cannot be escaped.
After Rāvaṇa has been killed in battle, Mandodarī comes to the battlefield, sees his body, and laments in disbelief that Rāma—whom she frames as a human—has slain him.
Mandodarī’s commitment to Satya is emphasized: she struggles with disbelief but forces herself to confront the truth of what has occurred.