Shloka 144

युद्धकाण्डे एकोनषष्टितमः सर्गः

Rāvaṇa’s Assault on Nīla and Lakṣmaṇa; Hanumān Bears Rāma

Devanagari script

सएवमुक्तोहतदर्पहर्षोनिकृत्तचापश्चहताश्वसूतः ।शरार्दितःकृत्तमहाकिरीटोविवेशलङ्कांसहसास्मराजा ।।6.59.144।।

Transliteration

sa evam ukto hatadarpaharṣo nikṛttacāpaś ca hatāśvasūtaḥ |

śarārditaḥ kṛttamahākirīṭo viveśa laṅkāṃ sahasā sma rājā ||6.59.144||

Translation

So angesprochen trat der König — dessen Stolz und Übermut zerschmettert, dessen Bogen zerbrochen, dessen Rosse und Wagenlenker erschlagen, von Pfeilen durchbohrt und dessen große Krone zerbrochen war — eilends in Laṅkā ein.

Word by Word

saḥhe

evamthus

uktaḥhaving been addressed

hata-darpa-harṣaḥwhose pride and joy were crushed

nikṛtta-cāpaḥwhose bow was cut/broken

caand

hata-aśva-sūtaḥwhose horses and charioteer were slain

śara-arditaḥwounded by arrows

kṛtta-mahā-kirīṭaḥwhose great crown was cut

viveśaentered

laṅkāmLanka

sahasāhastily

smaindeed

rājāthe king

Context

Rama having spoken in that way (consoling), the king with his vanity and pride crushed, bow broken into pieces, horses and charioteer killed, wounded by arrows, crown broken entered Lanka hastily.

Characters & Entities

Laṅkā

rājā (Rāvaṇa)

FAQs

What dharmic idea is conveyed by the king’s humbled return to Laṅkā?

The verse highlights how adharma-driven pride collapses under righteous resistance; humiliation becomes a moral consequence of wrongdoing, pushing the aggressor to retreat and reassess.

How does this verse relate to satya (truth) in the Ramayana’s ethical frame?

Satya is reflected indirectly: reality asserts itself over delusion—boastful self-image is shattered by the truthful outcome of battle, revealing the true state of the king’s defeat.