Shloka 3.19.5
खरस्य क्रोधः — शूर्पणखावृत्तान्तकथनम् (Khara’s Wrath and Śūrpaṇakhā’s Report)
बलविक्रमसम्पन्ना कामगा कामरूपिणी।इमामवस्थां नीता त्वं केनान्तकसमागता।।।।
iti pratisamādiṣṭā rākṣasās te caturdaśa | tatra jagmus tayā sārdhaṃ ghanā vāteritā yathā ||
Thus commanded, those fourteen rākṣasas went there with her, like dense clouds driven by the wind.
You have sufficient strength and courage. You are capable of moving as you like and taking any form at your will. By whom have you been brought to this state and drawn close to death?
The verse shows how wrongdoing spreads through obedience and group momentum; dharma requires moral agency, not blind compliance.
The rākṣasas set out immediately with Śūrpaṇakhā to carry out Khara’s violent command.
The implied virtue is conscientious judgment—refusing unjust orders—highlighted by its absence in the troop.