Shloka 12
कुम्भकर्णवधश्रवणेन रावणविलापः
Ravana’s Lament on Hearing of Kumbhakarna’s Slaying
इदानींखल्वहंनास्मियस्यमेदक्षिणोभुजः ।पतितोयंसमाश्रित्य न बिभेमिसुरासुरान् ।।।।
idānīṁ khalv ahaṁ nāsmi yasya me dakṣiṇo bhujaḥ |
patito yaṁ samāśritya na bibhemi surāsurān ||
À présent, vraiment, je suis comme anéanti : mon bras droit est tombé. M’appuyant sur lui, je ne craignais ni les dieux ni les asuras.
"I who depended on you like my right arm did not fear Devatas or Danavas and I am destroyed now."
FAQs
Pride founded on borrowed strength is unstable; Dharma teaches humility and accountability—one should not mistake power for righteousness or invincibility.
Rāvaṇa equates Kumbhakarṇa with his own right arm and confesses that his former fearlessness depended on that support.
The verse emphasizes (negatively) the danger of arrogance; it also indirectly points to the virtue of self-reliance grounded in Dharma rather than in intimidation.