Shloka 3.65.5
रामक्रोधवर्णनम् — Lakshmana’s Counsel to the Enraged Rama
चन्द्रे लक्ष्मीः प्रभा सूर्ये गतिर्वायौ भुवि क्षमा।एतत्तु नियतं सर्वं त्वयि चानुत्तमं यशः।।।।
ekasya nāparādhena lokān hantuṃ tvam arhasi |
na tu jānāmi kasyāyaṃ bhagnaḥ sāṅgrāmiko rathaḥ ||
kena vā kasya vā hetoḥ sāyudhaḥ saparicchadaḥ |
For the offence of a single person you ought not destroy the worlds. Yet I do not know whose this war-chariot is—broken here—still furnished with weapons and equipment, nor by whom, nor for what cause.
In you are always present the grace of the Moon, the radiance of the Sun, the motion of the wind, the forbearance of the earth and reputation.
Punishment must be proportionate and targeted; destroying many for one person’s fault violates Dharma.
Lakṣmaṇa restrains Rāma’s impulse toward indiscriminate destruction and urges investigation of the immediate signs (the broken chariot).
Discernment and justice: the ability to pause, inquire, and apply measured force rather than uncontrolled wrath.