Shloka 45
कण्वोपदेशः—नश्वरबलविवेकः तथा मातलिगुणकेश्याः आख्यानारम्भः
Kaṇva’s Counsel on Impermanent Power; Opening of the Mātali–Guṇakeśī Narrative
स्वपन्ति च प्लवन्ते च छर्दयन्ति च मानवा: । मूत्रयन्ते च सततं रुदन्ति च हसन्ति च
svapanti ca plavante ca chardayanti ca mānavāḥ | mūtrayante ca satataṃ rudanti ca hasanti ca ||
Rāma dijo: Bajo el impacto de tales operaciones de armas, los hombres pierden su lucidez habitual y se comportan de modo trastornado: unos caen dormidos, otros saltan sin tino, otros vomitan; algunos orinan sin cesar, mientras otros no dejan de llorar y reír, incapaces de dominarse. La escena muestra cómo el abuso de la fuerza puede quebrar la compostura y la dignidad humanas, convirtiendo a las personas en víctimas indefensas de la violencia, y no en agentes morales responsables.
राम उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the dehumanizing consequences of violent force: when weapons (and their effects) overwhelm the mind and body, people lose self-control and basic dignity. Ethically, it warns that the exercise of power in war can produce indiscriminate suffering, undermining dharma by reducing humans to helpless, disoriented victims.
Rāma describes the observable symptoms seen among people affected by the deployment or influence of powerful weapons—sleeping, frantic jumping, vomiting, involuntary urination, and uncontrolled crying and laughter—portraying a chaotic, traumatizing aftermath.