Shloka 6.2.16

युद्धकाण्डे द्वितीयः सर्गः — Sugriva’s Counsel: From Grief to Strategy (Bridge to Lanka)

Devanagari script

शूराणांहिमनुष्याणांत्वद्विधानांमहात्मनाम् ।विनष्टेवाप्रणष्टेवाशोकस्सर्वार्थनाशनः ।।।।

Transliteration

śūrāṇāṃ hi manuṣyāṇāṃ tvadvidhānāṃ mahātmanām |

vinaṣṭe vā praṇaṣṭe vā śokaḥ sarvārtha-nāśanaḥ ||

Translation

For valiant men—great souls like you—if they yield to grief over what is destroyed or lost, that sorrow becomes the ruin of every purpose.

Context

"If you who are great among the valiant ones worry for that which is destroyed or lost, it would lead to disaster of everything."

Characters & Entities

• Grief (Śoka)
• Loss/destruction (Vinaṣṭa/Praṇaṣṭa)

FAQs

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

Dharma is responsibility over personal sorrow: a righteous leader must not let private grief sabotage the collective good and the mission of justice.

What is the narrative situation?

Rāma is being reminded that lamenting loss weakens the campaign; steadiness is required to complete the rescue and confront adharma.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Kṣānti with steadiness—endurance that refuses to collapse into despair.