Shloka 3.50.9

जटायुरुपदेशः — Jatāyu Confronts Rāvaṇa (Ethical Admonition and Challenge)

Devanagari script

राजा धर्मस्य कामस्य द्रव्याणां चोत्तमो निधिः।।।।धर्मश्शुभं वा पापं वा राजमूलं प्रवर्तते।

Transliteration

rājā dharmasya kāmasya dravyāṇāṁ cottamo nidhiḥ |

dharmaḥ śubhaṁ vā pāpaṁ vā rāja-mūlaṁ pravartate |

Translation

The king is the foremost repository of dharma, kāma, and wealth. Whether righteousness takes a good form or turns to sin, its course in the world proceeds with the king as its root.

Context

A king is the best repository of rigteousness, material wealth and pleasures. The king is the root of dharma, virtue and sin.

Characters & Entities

• Jatāyu
• Rāvaṇa
• king (rājā)

FAQs

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

Dharma in society is causally tied to governance: the ruler’s character determines whether public life trends toward virtue or vice.

What is the narrative situation?

Jatāyu warns Rāvaṇa that his wrongdoing is not merely personal; as a king, his actions become the root of wider moral disorder.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Accountability in power: a ruler must embody restraint and justice because his conduct generates social norms.