Shloka 6.114.43
रावणस्य अन्त्येष्टिः — Ravana’s Funeral Rites and the Ethics of Post-War Conduct
स्निग्धेन्द्रनीलनीलंतुप्रांशुशैलोपमंमहत् ।।6.114.42।।केयूराङ्गदवैडूर्यमुक्ताहारस्रगुज्ज्वलम् ।कान्तंविहारेष्वधिकंदीप्तांसङ्ग्रामभूमिषु ।।6.114.43।।भात्याभरणभाभिर्यद्विद्युद्भिरिवतोयदः ।तदेवाद्यशरीरंतेतीक्ष्णैर्नैकशरैश्चितम् ।।6.114.44।।पुनर्दुर्लभसम्पर्शंपरिष्वक्तुं न शक्यते ।श्वाविधःशलकैर्यद्वद्भाणैर्लग्नैर्निरन्तरम् ।।6.114.45।।स्वर्पितैर्मर्मसुभृशंसञ्छिन्नस्नायुबन्धनम् ।क्षितौनिपतितंराजन् श्यामंवैरुधिरच्छवि ।।6.114.46।।वज्रप्रहाराभिहतोविकीर्णइवपर्वतः ।
keyūrāṅgada-vaiḍūrya-muktāhāra-srag-ujjvalam |
kāntaṁ vihāreṣv adhikaṁ dīptaṁ saṅgrāma-bhūmiṣu ||6.114.43||
O king, your body—bright with armlets and bracelets, with cat’s-eye gems, pearl-necklaces, and garlands—was exceedingly charming in moments of ease, and it blazed with splendor upon the battlefield.
"O king! Your body which is gigantic like a mountain, dark like a sapphire adorned with Keyuras, Angadas, necklaces of cat's eye gems and pearls, which were charming when in the battlefield, and shone brightly on your body with the lustre of your jewels like a rainy cloud with flashes of lightning. It is fixed with numerous arrows cut into pieces by darts and difficult to touch. Since the darts are inserted deep into your vital parts, it is not possible to perform ablution. It is dark, soaked in blood, broken, and crushed like a mountain hit by thunderbolt. Alas, it is not possible to embrace."
By contrasting Ravana’s former splendor with his fall, the verse underscores a dharmic warning: power and ornamentation are transient when one abandons righteous conduct; adharma ultimately leads to ruin even for the mighty.
Satya appears as unembellished recognition of reality: the speaker truthfully recalls Ravana’s brilliance yet implicitly faces the truth of impermanence—worldly beauty and strength cannot override moral consequence.