Shloka 45
कण्वोपदेशः—नश्वरबलविवेकः तथा मातलिगुणकेश्याः आख्यानारम्भः
Kaṇva’s Counsel on Impermanent Power; Opening of the Mātali–Guṇakeśī Narrative
स्वपन्ति च प्लवन्ते च छर्दयन्ति च मानवा: । मूत्रयन्ते च सततं रुदन्ति च हसन्ति च
svapanti ca plavante ca chardayanti ca mānavāḥ | mūtrayante ca satataṃ rudanti ca hasanti ca ||
ラーマは言った。「そのような武器の行使の衝撃を受けると、人は平常の意識を失い、歪んだ振る舞いに陥る。ある者は眠りに落ち、ある者は跳ね回り、ある者は嘔吐する。ある者は絶えず小便を漏らし、またある者は抑えきれず泣き笑いを続ける。――この光景は、力の濫用が人の平静と尊厳を打ち砕き、責任ある道徳的主体ではなく、暴力の前に無力な犠牲者へと変えてしまうことを示している。」
राम उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the dehumanizing consequences of violent force: when weapons (and their effects) overwhelm the mind and body, people lose self-control and basic dignity. Ethically, it warns that the exercise of power in war can produce indiscriminate suffering, undermining dharma by reducing humans to helpless, disoriented victims.
Rāma describes the observable symptoms seen among people affected by the deployment or influence of powerful weapons—sleeping, frantic jumping, vomiting, involuntary urination, and uncontrolled crying and laughter—portraying a chaotic, traumatizing aftermath.