Shloka 6.14.19
विभीषणोपदेशः (Vibhīṣaṇa’s Counsel to Rāvaṇa and the Rākṣasa Court)
यावद्धिकेशग्रहणातसुहृद्भि: समेत्यसर्वैःपरिपूर्णकामैः ।निगृह्यराजापरिरक्षितव्योभूतैर्यथाभीमबलैर्गृहीतः ।।।।
yāvad dhi keśa-grahaṇāt suhṛdbhiḥ sametya sarvaiḥ paripūrṇa-kāmaiḥ | nigṛhya rājā parirakṣitavyo bhūtair yathā bhīma-balair gṛhītaḥ ||
So long as it takes—even seizing him by the hair—let all his well-wishing friends assemble and restrain the king to protect him, as one would rescue a man seized by terrifying, powerful spirits.
"The king will have to be protected by all friends joined together whose wishes have been gratified even by catching him by his hair forcibly just as a man surrounded by a devil of terrific strength is pulled out by his hair."
When a leader is self-destructive, dharma may require firm restraint for protection—compassion expressed through corrective action, not flattery.
The speaker urges collective action by the king’s circle to physically and politically restrain him from a ruinous course.
Loyalty as guardianship: genuine friendship prevents harm even through unpleasant measures.