Shloka 3.36.16

मारीचप्रलोभनम् / Ravana Solicits Maricha’s Aid (Golden Deer Stratagem)

Devanagari script

वीर्ये युद्धे च दर्पे च न ह्यस्ति सदृशस्तव।उपायज्ञो महान्शूरस्सर्वमायाविशारदः।।।।

Transliteration

etad-artham ahaṁ prāptas tvat-samīpaṁ niśācara | śṛṇu tat karma sāhāyye yat kāryaṁ vacanān mama || 3.36.17 ||

Translation

For this very purpose I have come near you, O night-roamer. Listen: in this work of assistance, what must be done is as I say.

Context

In valour, in war and in conceit there is no one equal to you. You know all means (of success). You are great. You are brave. You are an expert in all deceitful arts.

Characters & Entities

• Rāvaṇa
• Mārīca

FAQs

What is the core ethical principle (Dharma) in this verse?

Dharma requires right counsel and right intention; here, authority is used to steer another into wrongdoing—showing how leadership without dharma becomes coercion.

What is the narrative situation?

Rāvaṇa states he has come specifically to obtain Mārīca’s help and begins issuing instructions for the planned operation.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

The verse foregrounds obedience demanded by a powerful figure; the counter-virtue to consider is moral discernment—refusing to assist adharma even under pressure.