Shloka 6.16.9
विभीषणोपदेशे रावणस्य परुषवाक्यम् (Ravana’s Harsh Reply to Vibhishana’s Counsel)
विद्यतेगोषुसम्पन्नंविद्यतेब्राह्मणेदमः ।विद्यतेस्त्रीषुचापल्यंविद्यतेज्ञातितोभयम् ।।।।
vidyate goṣu sampannaṃ vidyate brāhmaṇe damaḥ | vidyate strīṣu cāpalyaṃ vidyate jñātito bhayam ||
Wealth is found among cattle; self-restraint is found in a brahmin; fickleness is found among women; and fear arises from one’s own kinsmen.
"In the cows' wealth is present, in the brahmins forbearance is seen, in the women capriciousness exists but in close relatives fear is present."
The verse presents generalized observations about where certain qualities are typically seen; in the narrative it functions as a worldly, pragmatic reflection rather than a prescriptive dharma-rule. Satya here is framed as speaking what one believes to be true about human conduct, though the Ramayana elsewhere tests such claims against higher dharma (righteous action).
Not necessarily. In context, such lines often express a character’s perspective and political-ethical realism; the epic’s broader dharma-vision invites discernment rather than treating every generalization as a timeless injunction.