Ramayana — Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 61, Shloka 18
कौसल्याविलापः
Kausalya’s Lament and Ethical Analogies on Kingship
तथा ह्यात्तमिदं राज्यं हृतसारां सुरामिव।नाभिमन्तुमलं रामो नष्टसोममिवाध्वरम्।।2.61.18।।
tathā hy āttam idaṃ rājyaṃ hṛtasārāṃ surām iva |
nābhimantum alaṃ rāmo naṣṭasomam ivādhvaram || 2.61.18 ||
Demikian pula kerajaan ini, yang telah dinikmati orang lain, bagaikan minuman keras yang sarinya telah terkuras; Rāma tidak patut menerimanya, seperti yajña yang kehilangan Soma.
Rama, highly determined will not suffer this indignity. If enraged, he can split open even mount Mandara with his sharp arrows.
FAQs
Dharma holds that authority without rightful essence—justice, consent, and proper transfer—becomes hollow and unacceptable to the righteous.
Continuing the ritual analogy, the speaker insists Rāma will not accept a sovereignty whose moral ‘essence’ has been drained by prior wrongful enjoyment.
Rāma’s refusal of compromised gain: he values righteousness over advantage.