Ramayana — Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 61, Shloka 14
कौसल्याविलापः
Kausalya’s Lament and Ethical Analogies on Kingship
ब्राह्मणेष्वपि तृप्तेषु पश्चाद्भोक्तुं द्विजर्षभाः।नाभ्युपैतुमलं प्राज्ञा श्शृङ्गच्छेदमिवर्षभाः।।2.61.14।।
brāhmaṇeṣv api tṛpteṣu paścād bhoktuṃ dvijarṣabhāḥ |
nābhyupaitum alaṃ prājñāḥ śṛṅgacchedam ivarṣabhāḥ ||
Sekalipun para brāhmaṇa telah kenyang, orang bijak—yang terbaik di antara kaum dwija—tidak sudi makan sesudahnya; bagaikan lembu jantan yang tak tahan pemotongan tanduknya.
The bulls (best) among the wise brahmins would not like to accept the food after it is tasted by other brahmins, just as bulls dislike their horns being shorn.
FAQs
Dharma protects dignity and rightful order: accepting a diminished place is portrayed as a moral injury, not merely a social inconvenience.
Kauśalyā intensifies her analogy: just as honorable persons reject being treated as ‘after,’ so too the rightful heir should not accept what is already ‘enjoyed’ by another.
Self-respect aligned with righteousness—refusal to normalize a violation of proper precedence.