Shloka 6.114.64

रावणस्य अन्त्येष्टिः — Ravana’s Funeral Rites and the Ethics of Post-War Conduct

Devanagari script

याःस्त्वयाविधवाराजन्कृतानैकाःकुलस्त्रियः ।।।।पतिव्रताधर्मरतागुरुशुश्रूषणेरताः ।ताभिश्शोकाभितप्ताभिश्शप्तःपरवशंगतः ।।।।त्वयाविप्रकृताभिर्यत्तदाशप्तंतदागतम् ।

Transliteration

kathaṃ trailokyam ākramya śriyā vīryeṇa cānvitam | aviṣahyaṃ jaghāna tvāṃ mānuṣo vanagocaraḥ ||

Translation

How could a mere human—one who ranged the forests—strike you down, you who had overrun the three worlds, endowed with splendor and valor, seemingly impossible to withstand?

Context

"King! Chaste women of noble lineage being righteous, serving the elders have been widowed by you. Because of their curse, you have fallen under the sway of your enemy and because of that, this has come to you."

Characters & Entities

• Mandodarī
• Rāvaṇa
• Three worlds (trailokya)
• Rāma (implied by “human, forest-dweller”)

FAQs

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

It warns against arrogance: violating dharma makes even the seemingly invincible fall—often through an instrument that appears ‘ordinary’.

What is the narrative situation?

Mandodarī marvels at the reversal of fortune: the conqueror of worlds is slain by a ‘human’ forest-ranging hero (Rāma).

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Recognition of a higher moral order: the epic suggests that dharma empowers the righteous beyond conventional measures of might.