Shloka 2.21.10
अयोध्याकाण्डे एकविंशः सर्गः — Lakṣmaṇa’s militant counsel and Rāma’s dharma-based persuasion of Kausalyā
निर्मनुष्यामिमां कृत्स्नामयोध्यां मनुजर्षभ। करिष्यामि शरैस्तीक्ष्णैर्यदि स्थास्यति विप्रिये।।2.21.10।।
nirmanuṣyām imāṃ kṛtsnām ayodhyāṃ manujarṣabha |
kariṣyāmi śarais tīkṣṇair yadi sthāsyati vipriye || 2.21.10 ||
O best of men, if the whole of Ayodhya stands against you in hostility, I will make this entire city devoid of men with my sharp arrows.
O best of men, if the whole of Ayodhya stands against you I shall depopulate it with my sharp arrows.
The verse dramatizes a conflict within dharma: protective loyalty and kṣatriya impulse to punish injustice, yet the epic’s broader ethic favors restraint and adherence to truth-bound duty over violent retaliation.
Amid the exile crisis, Lakshmana declares to Rama that he will destroy opposition in Ayodhya if the city turns hostile toward Rama.
Fierce loyalty and martial protectiveness—Lakshmana’s readiness to act for Rama, even excessively, highlights his unwavering devotion.