Ramayana — Yuddha Kanda, Sarga 66, Shloka 28
कुम्भकर्णप्रस्थानम् तथा अङ्गदप्रेरणा
Kumbhakarna’s sortie and Angada’s rallying of the Vanaras
लायनेनचोद्धिष्टाःप्राणान् रक्षामहेवयम् ।एकेनबहवोभग्नायशोनाशंगमिष्यति ।।।।
palāyanena coddhiṣṭāḥ prāṇān rakṣāmahe vayam |
ekena bahavo bhagnā yaśo nāśaṁ gamiṣyati ||
Auch wenn wir auserwählte und berühmte Krieger sind: Retten wir unser Leben durch Flucht—selbst wenn viele von einem einzigen Feind zerschlagen werden—so geht unsere Ehre zugrunde.
"Even though we are distinguished, if we preserve our life by running away for life, destroyed by one, our glory will come to an end."
FAQs
Dharma includes safeguarding communal honor and duty; cowardice that abandons a righteous cause is treated as moral loss, not mere strategy.
After suffering Kumbhakarṇa’s onslaught, many Vānaras begin to retreat; Aṅgada warns that flight will destroy their reputation and purpose.
Lajjā and māna (sense of shame and honor) aligned with duty—refusing to let fear erase one’s pledged role.