Valmiki Ramayana 1.7.9: Bala Kanda, Sarga 7, Shloka 9
अमात्य-गुणवर्णनम्
The Virtues of Daśaratha’s Ministers and the Order of Governance
कोशसङ्ग्रहणे युक्ता बलस्य च परिग्रहे ।
अहितं चापि पुरुषं न विहिंस्युरदूषकम् ॥९॥
kośa-saṅgrahaṇe yuktā balasya ca parigrahe |
ahitaṃ cāpi puruṣaṃ na vihiṃsyur adūṣakam ||9||
यह मंत्री खज़ाना भरते थे और सेना संभालते थे। लेकिन किसी को फालतू में नहीं मारते थे। अगर कोई बुरा भी हो, लेकिन उसने कुछ गलत नहीं किया हो, तो उसे नहीं पकड़ते थे। बिना वजह किसी को तकलीफ नहीं देते थे।
They were experts in replenishing the exchequer and in collecting the army. They never inflicted any punishment even on those who were not their well-wishers, if they did not commit any offence.
FAQs
Dharma requires punishment to be fault-based: even a hostile person should not be harmed if innocent (adūṣaka).
The text continues listing ministerial virtues—economic strength and military readiness governed by justice.
Restraint and commitment to due process rather than revenge.
Ask anything about this verse
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
A free sign-in with Google or Apple keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Valmiki Ramayana in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with word-by-word meanings, Sanskrit recitation where available, and more.
