Shloka 3.4.17

विराधवधः — The Slaying (Burial) of Viradha

Devanagari script

प्रसाद्यमानश्च मया सोऽब्रवीन्मां महायशाः।यदा दाशरथी रामस्त्वां वधिष्यति संयुगे।तदा प्रकृतिमापन्नो भवान्स्वर्गं गमिष्यति।।।।

Transliteration

prasādyamānaś ca mayā so 'bravīn māṃ mahāyaśāḥ |

yadā dāśarathī rāmas tvāṃ vadhiṣyati saṃyuge |

tadā prakṛtim āpanno bhavān svargaṃ gamiṣyati ||

Translation

When I tried to appease him, that illustrious lord told me: ‘When Rāma, son of Daśaratha, kills you in battle, then restored to your true nature you will go to heaven.’

Context

When I appealed to him, that lord of great fame (Kubera) said that I would get back my original form and ascend to heaven when Rama, son of Dasaratha, would kill me in a duel.

Characters & Entities

• Virādha/Tumburu
• Kubera (implied by context as the speaker of the condition)
• Rāma
• Daśaratha
• Svarga (heaven)

FAQs

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

Dharma can become the instrument of liberation: righteous action (Rāma’s slaying of a harmful being) simultaneously restores cosmic order and grants release to the cursed.

What is the narrative situation?

Virādha recounts Kubera’s statement that his curse would end when Rāma kills him in battle, after which he will regain his true form and go to heaven.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Rāma’s role as a restorer of order—his battle is not mere violence but dharmic intervention with purifying consequences.