Valmiki Ramayana 2.23.11: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 23, Shloka 11
लक्ष्मणक्रोधः · दैवपुरुषकारविवादः
Lakshmana’s Wrath and the Debate on Destiny vs Human Effort
येनेय मागता द्वैधं तव बुद्धिर्महामते ।
स हि धर्मो मम द्वेष्यः प्रसङ्गाद्यस्य मुह्यसि ॥११॥
yeneyaṃ āgatā dvaidhaṃ tava buddhir mahāmate |
sa hi dharmo mama dveṣyaḥ prasaṅgād yasya muhyasi ||11||
बड़े दिमाग वाले, उस धरम ने तुम्हारा दिमाग घुमा दिया है। तुम कन्फ्यूज़ हो रहे हो। ऐसा धरम मुझे पसंद नहीं आता।
O noble minded one! I hate this righteousness which has deluded your intellect and created this dilemma about this issue.
FAQs
Not every claim of ‘dharma’ is ethically sound; Lakṣmaṇa challenges a rigid interpretation of duty that produces confusion and enables injustice.
Seeing Rāma inclined to accept a painful command, Lakṣmaṇa denounces the kind of duty that traps Rāma in hesitation.
Moral courage—Lakṣmaṇa dares to question a prevailing notion of dharma when it seems to protect wrongdoing.
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