Shloka 2.61.22

कौसल्याविलापः — Kausalya’s Lament and Ethical Analogies on Kingship

Devanagari script

नैवं विधमसत्कारं राघवो मर्षयिष्यति।बलवानिव शार्दूलो वालधेरभिमर्शनम्।।2.61.22।।

Transliteration

naitasya sahitā lokā bhayaṃ kuryur mahāmṛthe |

adharmaṃ tv iha dharmātmā lokaṃ dharmeṇa yojayet || 2.61.23 ||

Translation

Even if all the worlds united against him in a great battle, they would not make him afraid. Here, where unrighteousness prevails, that righteous-souled one would set the world back upon dharma through dharma itself.

Context

A powerful tiger will not allow its tail to be twisted. In the same way Rama also will not tolerate an insult of this sort.

Characters & Entities

• Rāma

FAQs

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

Dharma is both the goal and the means: the righteous restore social order not through adharma, but through principled action aligned with truth and justice.

What is the narrative situation?

The speaker portrays Rāma as fearless and as a restorer of righteousness amid a climate of injustice.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Fearlessness grounded in dharma, and commitment to re-establishing justice without moral compromise.