Shloka 6.14.14
विभीषणोपदेशः (Vibhīṣaṇa’s Counsel to Rāvaṇa and the Rākṣasa Court)
भित्त्वानतावत्प्रविशन्तिकायंप्राणान्तिकास्तेऽशनितुल्यवेगाः ।शिताश्शराराघवविप्रमुक्ताःप्रहस्ततेनैवविकत्थसेत्वम् ।।।।
bhittvā na tāvat praviśanti kāyaṁ prāṇāntikās te ’śani-tulya-vegāḥ | śitāḥ śarā rāghava-vipramuktāḥ prahasta tenaiva vikatthase tvam ||
Prahastha, those sharp arrows released by Rāghava—life-ending, swift as a thunderbolt—have not yet torn into your body. Precisely for that reason you still boast.
"Prahastha! Before the life-threatening sharp arrows which have the speed of a meteor released by Rama penetrate and tear your body, why are you boasting yourself?"
Dharma favors foresight: one should not mistake the absence of immediate consequences for safety or moral legitimacy.
The speaker warns that Prahasta’s confidence exists only because the fatal encounter has not yet fully struck him.
Clear-eyed realism (viveka) in the face of danger.