Valmiki Ramayana 1.61.7: Bala Kanda, Sarga 61, Shloka 7
शुनःशेफविक्रयः · The Sale of Śunaḥśepa for the Sacrifice
पशुरद्य हृतो राजन् प्रणष्टस्तव दुर्नयात् ।
अरक्षितारं राजानं घ्नन्ति दोषा नरेश्वर ॥७॥
paśur adya hṛto rājan praṇaṣṭas tava durnayāt |
arakṣitāraṃ rājānaṃ ghnanti doṣā nareśvara ||7||
राजा, आज वो जानवर जो बलि के लिए था, वो छीन गया। तुम्हारी गलती से वो गायब हो गया। जो राजा लोगों की हिफाज़त नहीं करता, उसकी गल्तियाँ उसे गिराती हैं।
"O King! the animal has been stolen away and because of your inability to enforce law, it could not be traced. O Lord of men! the king who fails to protect (his dependents)perishes by his own faults.
FAQs
Rājadharma: a ruler is morally accountable for protection and order; negligence (failure to safeguard) becomes a self-destructive fault.
After the sacrificial animal disappears, the priest rebukes the king, framing the loss as a governance failure that must be remedied.
Moral candor (satya-vacana) in counsel: the priest speaks plainly to uphold dharma, even when it criticizes royal authority.
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