Ramayana — Yuddha Kanda, Sarga 35, Shloka 13
माल्यवानुपदेशः
Malyavan’s Counsel, Portents in Laṅkā, and the Proposal of Alliance
धर्मोहिश्रूयतेपक्षीह्यमराणांमहात्मनाम् ।।।।अधर्मोरक्षसांपक्षोह्यसुराणांचराक्षस ।
dharmo hi śrūyate pakṣī hy amarāṇāṁ mahātmanām | adharmo rakṣasāṁ pakṣo hy asurāṇāṁ ca rākṣasa |
શ્રુતિમાં કહેવાય છે કે ધર્મ મહાત્મા અમરોનો પક્ષ છે; અને હે રાક્ષસ, અધર્મ રાક્ષસો તથા અસુરોનો પક્ષ છે.
"The great souls were towards righteousness and Rakshasas took the side of unrighteousness."
FAQs
Dharma is presented as the defining allegiance of the noble; choosing adharma is not merely a tactic but a self-identification with destructive forces.
The speaker categorizes the war as a moral contest, warning Rāvaṇa that his faction is aligned with adharma.
Satya (truthfulness) in admonition—naming wrongdoing plainly rather than softening it.