Shloka 7
शुकसारणनिग्रहः / Ravana Rebukes Suka and Sārana; Spies Reconnoiter Rama’s Camp
नतावत्सदृशंनामसचिवैरुपजीविभिः ।विप्रियंनृपतेर्वक्तुंनिग्रहेप्रग्रहेप्रभोः ।।।।
na tāvat sadṛśaṃ nāma sacivair upajīvibhiḥ | vipriyaṃ nṛpater vaktuṃ nigrahe pragrahe prabhoḥ ||
«Es ziemt sich nicht», sagte er, «dass Minister, die von der Gunst ihres Herrn leben, einem König missfällige Worte sagen, der Macht hat, zu zügeln wie zu belohnen.»
"It is not proper for those ministers dependent on a capable ruler who has the power to check and hold forth, to speak that which is unpleasant."
FAQs
The verse raises the dharmic tension between truthful counsel (satya-hitavacana) and courtly dependence: a ruler should welcome truth, yet Rāvaṇa frames “unpleasant truth” as improper—showing adharma in governance.
Rāvaṇa begins to chastise his messengers/ministers for reporting or implying facts he finds disagreeable, asserting royal authority over them.
The implied virtue is courageous, truthful counsel by ministers; Rāvaṇa’s reaction highlights the opposite—intolerance to corrective advice.