Shloka 6.68.20
कुम्भकर्णवधश्रवणेन रावणविलापः (Ravana’s Lament on Hearing of Kumbhakarna’s Slaying)
देवाहिमांहसिष्यन्तिदृष्टवापूर्वापकारिणम् ।कथमिन्द्रंजयिष्यामिकुम्भकर्ण हतेत्वयि ।।।।
devā hi māṃ hasiṣyanti dṛṣṭvā pūrvāpakāriṇam |
katham indraṃ jayiṣyāmi kumbhakarṇa hate tvayi ||
The devas—seeing me, their former offender—will surely laugh at me now. How could I ever conquer Indra, when you, Kumbhakarṇa, have been slain?
"Devatas who were harmed by me earlier will laugh at me now that Kumbhakarna is slain. How will I win Indra?"
Past wrongdoing returns as social and moral accountability; Dharma emphasizes that harm done to others shapes one’s future standing and strength.
Rāvaṇa anticipates ridicule from the devas and feels strategically diminished without Kumbhakarṇa.
A negative mirror: instead of repentance and Satya, Rāvaṇa focuses on pride, status, and conquest.