Shloka 3.54.17
सीताहरणोत्तरं लङ्काप्रवेशः — Sita’s Abduction and Ravana’s Entry into Lanka
तथोक्त्वा राक्षसीस्तास्तु राक्षसेन्द्रः प्रतापवान्।।।।निष्क्रम्यान्तः पुरात्तस्मात्किंकृत्यमिति चिन्तयन्।ददर्शाष्टौ महावीर्यान्राक्षसान्पिशिताशनान्।।।।
tathoktvā rākṣasīs tāstu rākṣasendraḥ pratāpavān |
niṣkramyāntaḥpurāt tasmāt kiṃkṛtyam iti cintayan |
dadarśāṣṭau mahāvīryān rākṣasān piśitāśanān ||
Having thus instructed those rākṣasī, the powerful lord of the rākṣasas came out from the inner palace; and, thinking “What should be done now?”, he saw eight mighty, flesh-eating demons.
The courageous lord of the demons, having said so to the demonesses, came out of the inner apartment. While contemplating the future course of action, he saw eight powerful, carnivorous demons.
When one departs from dharma, deliberation tends toward further harm: the question “what next?” becomes strategy for sustaining wrongdoing rather than correcting it.
After issuing orders about Sītā’s confinement, Rāvaṇa exits the inner quarters and considers his next move, encountering eight formidable rākṣasas.
Prudence is shown in a morally inverted way—strategic thinking exists, but without ethical restraint; the epic thereby highlights that intelligence without dharma is perilous.