Shloka 18
विभीषणोपदेशः
Vibhishana’s Counsel to Ravana and the Catalogue of Omens
खरोष्ट्राश्वतराराजभनभिन्नरोमास्स्रवन्तिच ।नस्वभावेऽवतिष्ठन्तिविधानैरपिचिन्तिताः ।।।।
kharoṣṭrāśvatarā rājan bhinnaromāḥ sravanti ca | na svabhāve 'vatiṣṭhanti vidhānair api cintitāḥ ||
രാജാവേ, കഴുതകളും ഒട്ടകങ്ങളും കോലാടുകളും (ഖച്ചറുകൾ) രോമം പൊഴിക്കുന്നു; സ്രാവം ഉണ്ടായി കരുണയായി വിലപിക്കുന്നു; പലവിധ ചികിത്സകൾ ചെയ്തിട്ടും അവ സ്വാഭാവിക നിലയിലേക്കു മടങ്ങുന്നില്ല.
"O King! the donkeys and camels have shed their body hair and are crying. Even though they are treated for it in different ways they are not getting to be in normal natural form."
FAQs
When wrongdoing becomes entrenched, superficial fixes fail; true remedy is returning to dharma—correcting the root moral violation.
Vibhīṣaṇa stresses that the kingdom’s disorder is not easily curable, strengthening his warning that Rāvaṇa must change course.
Integrity in counsel: he does not minimize the severity of the signs, even before a powerful king.