Shloka 28
Śrī Rāmacandra-avatāra — Vow, Exile, Laṅkā-vijaya, and Rāma-rājya
Concise Bhāgavata Account
कृतैषा विधवा लङ्का वयं च कुलनन्दन । देह: कृतोऽन्नं गृध्राणामात्मा नरकहेतवे ॥ २८ ॥
kṛtaiṣā vidhavā laṅkā vayaṁ ca kula-nandana dehaḥ kṛto ’nnaṁ gṛdhrāṇām ātmā naraka-hetave
O pleasure of the Rākṣasa dynasty, because of you the state of Laṅkā and also we ourselves now have no protector. By your deeds you have made your body fit to be eaten by vultures and your soul fit to go to hell.
One who follows the path of Rāvaṇa is condemned in two ways: his body is fit to be eaten by dogs and vultures, and the soul goes to hell. As stated by the Lord Himself in Bhagavad-gītā (16.19) :
FAQs
This verse portrays the aftermath of Rāvaṇa’s adharma: Laṅkā becomes “widowed,” and the speaker laments that the body becomes carrion and the soul becomes a cause for hell—highlighting the ruin that follows irreligion.
She uses poetic grief-language: with Rāvaṇa slain, the city has lost its protector and ruler, like a wife bereft of her husband—signifying political and moral collapse after his death.
It urges choosing dharma over ego-driven actions: wrongdoing may bring short-term power, but it ends in loss, dishonor, and suffering—so cultivate integrity, restraint, and devotion.