Shloka 7
मारीचस्य रावणं प्रति नीत्युपदेशः
Maricha’s Counsel on Kingship and Ruin to Ravana
अमात्यैः कामवृत्तो हि राजा कापथमाश्रितः।निग्राह्यस्सर्वथा सदभिर्न निग्राह्यो निगृह्यसे।।।।
amātyaiḥ kāmavṛtto hi rājā kāpatham āśritaḥ | nigrāhyaḥ sarvathā sadbhir na nigrāhyo nigṛhyase ||
Sebab bila seorang raja dikuasai nafsu dan menempuh jalan yang jahat, ia harus dicegah dengan segala cara oleh menteri-menteri yang baik. Namun engkau—meski patut ditahan—tidak ditahan, maka engkau pun tak terkendali.
Good ministrers should always prevent a lustful king from taking resourse to an evil path. Why were you not stopped, even though you deserve to be checked.
FAQs
Dharma in rulership is self-control; when kāma overrides judgment, ethical governance collapses. Ministers have a dharmic obligation to restrain such a fall.
Mārīca frames Rāvaṇa’s intention as desire-driven and therefore an 'evil path,' criticizing the absence of corrective governance.
Self-restraint and wise administration: the capacity to govern impulses through counsel and discipline.