Shloka 1
माल्यवानुपदेशः—रावणक्रोधः तथा लङ्काद्वाररक्षा-व्यवस्था
Malyavan’s Counsel, Ravana’s Anger, and the Fortification of Lanka
तत्तुमाल्यवतोवाक्यंहितमुक्तंदशाननः ।नमर्षयतिदुष्टात्माकालस्यवशमागतः ।।।।
tattu mālyavato vākyaṃ hitam uktaṃ daśānanaḥ |
na marṣayati duṣṭātmā kālasya vaśam āgataḥ ||
Doch Daśānana, der Zehnköpfige, von bösem Sinn und nun der Macht des Todes verfallen, vermochte die heilsamen Worte Mālyavāns nicht zu ertragen.
The ten-headed Ravana, having fallen under the sway of death could not tolerate Malyavatha's words of advice.
FAQs
Dharma requires receptivity to beneficial advice; refusal of wholesome counsel due to ego and wicked intent accelerates downfall.
At the opening of the next sarga, the narrator states that Rāvaṇa cannot bear Mālyavān’s good counsel, foreshadowing further ruin.
By contrast (through negation), the virtue highlighted is humility; Rāvaṇa’s lack of it is shown as a moral failing.