Shloka 22
Śrī Rāmacandra-avatāra — Vow, Exile, Laṅkā-vijaya, and Rāma-rājya
Concise Bhāgavata Account
रामस्तमाह पुरुषादपुरीष यन्न: कान्तासमक्षमसतापहृता श्ववत् ते । त्यक्तत्रपस्य फलमद्य जुगुप्सितस्य यच्छामि काल इव कर्तुरलङ्घ्यवीर्य: ॥ २२ ॥
rāmas tam āha puruṣāda-purīṣa yan naḥ kāntāsamakṣam asatāpahṛtā śvavat te tyakta-trapasya phalam adya jugupsitasya yacchāmi kāla iva kartur alaṅghya-vīryaḥ
Lord Rāmacandra said to Rāvaṇa: “O most loathsome of man-eaters—like their very filth! You are like a dog: as a dog steals food from the kitchen when the master is away, so in My absence you kidnapped My wife, Sītādevī. Therefore today, as Yamarāja punishes the sinful, I shall punish you; you are vile, sinful, and shameless, and My power is irresistible and My resolve never fails.”
Na ca daivāt paraṁ balam: no one can surpass the strength of the Transcendence. Rāvaṇa was so sinful and shameless that he did not know what the result would be of kidnapping mother Sītā, the pleasure potency of Rāmacandra. This is the disqualification of the Rākṣasas. Asatyam apratiṣṭhaṁ te jagad āhur anīśvaram. The Rākṣasas are unaware that the Supreme Lord is the ruler of the creation. They think that everything has come about by chance or accident and that there is no ruler, king or controller. Therefore the Rākṣasas act independently, as they like, going even so far as to kidnap the goddess of fortune. This policy of Rāvaṇa’s is extremely dangerous for the materialist; indeed, it brings ruin to the materialistic civilization. Nonetheless, because atheists are Rākṣasas, they dare to do things that are most abominable, and thus they are punished without fail. Religion consists of the orders of the Supreme Lord, and one who carries out these orders is religious. One who fails to carry out the Lord’s orders is irreligious, and he is to be punished.
FAQs
This verse portrays Lord Rāma as administering the inevitable result of wrongdoing—comparing it to Kāla (Time), which unfailingly delivers the fruit of one’s actions.
Because Rāvaṇa abducted Sītā, the chaste wife of Rāma, committing a shameless and detestable act; Rāma declares that the appropriate consequence must now be given.
The verse teaches accountability: actions have consequences, even if delayed—so one should choose dharmic conduct and avoid exploiting others, trusting that justice is ultimately inescapable.