Shloka 3.32.22
अरण्यकाण्डे द्वात्रिंशः सर्गः — Śūrpaṇakhā’s Report to Rāvaṇa and the Panegyric of His Might
तं दिव्यवस्त्राभरणं दिव्यमाल्योपशोभितम्।आसने सूपविष्टं च कालकालमिवोद्यतम्।।।।
taṃ divyavastrābharaṇaṃ divyamālyopaśobhitam |
āsane sūpaviṣṭaṃ ca kālakālam ivodyatam ||
She saw him resplendent in divine garments and ornaments, beautified with celestial garlands—seated firmly upon his throne, like Death even to Death itself, poised to strike.
Resplendently attired, adorned with jewels, wearing beautiful gardlands, seated on a raised throne, he(Ravana) was like death to even the lord of death;
Outer splendor can mask inner unrighteousness; Dharma evaluates character and conduct, not display. The verse uses grandeur to heighten the danger of power divorced from moral restraint.
The scene frames Rāvaṇa’s courtly presence just before Śūrpaṇakhā speaks, increasing dramatic tension.
The implied virtue is humility and self-control—contrasted with a ruler presented as terrifyingly ‘death-like’ in dominance.