Shloka 1
युद्धाय रावणस्य निर्याणं तथा उत्पातदर्शनम्
Ravana’s Mobilization for War and the ظهور of Fatal Portents
आर्तानांराक्षसीनांतुलङ्कायांवैकुलेकुले ।रावणःकरुणंशब्दंशुश्रावपरिदेवितम् ।।6.96.1।।
ārtānāṃ rākṣasīnām tu laṅkāyāṃ vai kule kule | rāvaṇaḥ karuṇaṃ śabdaṃ śuśrāva paridevitam ||6.96.1||
In Laṅkā hörte Rāvaṇa von Haus zu Haus, von Sippe zu Sippe, den erbarmungswürdigen Klang der klagenden Rākṣasī‑Frauen, die in Jammer riefen.
Ravana heard from every house in Lanka sounds of piteous cries and pathetic sounds of the afflicted.
FAQs
Adharma brings collective suffering: wrongful leadership and violence do not remain private faults but ripple through society, here seen as grief spreading through every household.
After heavy losses in the war, Laṅkā is filled with mourning; Rāvaṇa hears widespread lamentation from the rākṣasī women.
The verse highlights not a virtue of Rāvaṇa but a moral contrast: the absence of righteous governance (dharma) results in public distress, underscoring the Ramayana’s ideal of compassionate, responsible rule.