Shloka 3.29.21
अरण्यकाण्डे एकोनत्रिंशः सर्गः (Sarga 29: Rama’s Admonition to Khara and the Shattering of the Mace)
न तु मामिह तिष्ठन्तं पश्यसि त्वं गदाधरम्।धराधरमिवाकम्प्यं पर्वतं धातुभिश्चितम्।।।।
udvejanīyo bhūtānāṃ nṛśaṃsaḥ pāpakarmakṛt | trayāṇām api lokānām īśvaro ’pi na tiṣṭhati ||
One who is cruel, who works sinful deeds, and who becomes a terror to all beings does not endure—even were he the lord of the three worlds.
Indeed, (it is strange that) you do not see me holding a mace and standing here like an unshakeable mountain which contains minerals and supports the earth.
Adharma is self-destructive: cruelty and sinful conduct ultimately lead to downfall, regardless of power or status.
Rāma addresses Khara in the forest confrontation, warning that wickedness cannot sustain itself.
Rāma’s moral clarity—he frames the conflict as a consequence of ethical law (karma), not mere personal rivalry.