Shloka 3.48.16

रावणस्यात्मप्रशंसा लङ्कावर्णनं च — Ravana’s Self-Praise and the Description of Lanka

Devanagari script

तेन किं भ्रष्टराज्येन रामेण गतचेतसा।करिष्यसि विशालाक्षि तापसेन तपस्विना।।।।

Transliteration

tena kiṃ bhraṣṭarājyena rāmeṇa gatacetasā | kariṣyasi viśālākṣi tāpasena tapasvinā ||

Translation

What can you accomplish with that Rāma—bereft of kingdom and unsteady in mind—an ascetic living by austerities, O large-eyed lady?

Context

O largeeyed Sita dislodged from the kingdom, Rama has lost his capacity to think. He is doing penance, assuming an ascetic role. What can he do (for you)?

Characters & Entities

• Rāma
• Sītā

FAQs

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

Dharma rejects contempt for renunciation; Rāvaṇa frames ascetic life as weakness, but the epic repeatedly treats self-control and duty as higher strengths than mere power.

What is the narrative situation?

Rāvaṇa tries to break Sītā’s reliance on Rāma by portraying him as powerless due to exile and ascetic practice.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Rāma’s tapas-linked self-mastery (and Sītā’s loyalty to that dharmic ideal) is implicitly contrasted with Rāvaṇa’s power-centered worldview.