Shloka 64
रावणस्य अन्त्येष्टिः
Ravana’s Funeral Rites and the Ethics of Post-War Conduct
याःस्त्वयाविधवाराजन्कृतानैकाःकुलस्त्रियः ।।।।पतिव्रताधर्मरतागुरुशुश्रूषणेरताः ।ताभिश्शोकाभितप्ताभिश्शप्तःपरवशंगतः ।।।।त्वयाविप्रकृताभिर्यत्तदाशप्तंतदागतम् ।
yāḥ stvayā vidhavā rājan kṛtā naikāḥ kulastriyaḥ | pativratā dharmaratā guruśuśrūṣaṇe ratāḥ | tābhiḥ śokābhitaptābhiḥ śaptaḥ paravaśaṃ gataḥ | tvayā viprakṛtābhir yat tadā śaptaṃ tad āgatam ||
Oh rey, por ti muchas mujeres nobles quedaron viudas—fieles a sus esposos, entregadas al dharma y diligentes en servir a los mayores. Abrasadas por el dolor, te maldijeron; y así caíste bajo el poder de tu enemigo. Aquella maldición pronunciada entonces por quienes agraviaste—ha venido ahora sobre ti.
"These people who were with you are always sporting my Lord. Why do you not call them, why are you not consoling them, or inviting them?"
FAQs
Adharma toward the innocent—especially the vulnerable—returns as inevitable consequence. The epic frames moral causality: injustice produces bondage and ruin.
Mandodarī interprets Rāvaṇa’s defeat as the fruition of the curses and suffering caused by his past violence, particularly the widowing of righteous women.
Moral accountability: even in mourning, Mandodarī names wrongdoing and recognizes that ethical violations have consequences.