Shloka 29
वालिवधः — Vālī’s Fall and Dharma-Accusation
Kiṣkindhā Sarga 17
वयं वनचरा राम मृगा मूलफलाशना:।एषा प्रकृतिरस्माकं पुरुषस्त्वं नरेश्वरः।।
vayaṃ vanacarā rāma mṛgā mūlaphalāśanāḥ | eṣā prakṛtir asmākaṃ puruṣas tvaṃ nareśvaraḥ || 4.17.29 ||
Kami ini penghuni rimba, wahai Rāma—hanya seperti binatang, memakan akar dan buah; demikianlah tabiat kami. Tetapi engkau seorang manusia, penguasa di antara manusia.
When the lord of the monkey troops fell down, it was as though the earth lost itsbrightness like the sky loses its brightness devoid of the Moon.
FAQs
Greater responsibility with higher status: a human ruler is held to stricter moral standards than forest creatures acting by instinct.
Vāli contrasts vānaras’ natural life with Rāma’s human kingship to question the propriety of Rāma’s action.
Moral restraint: the expectation that a ruler governs impulses and acts by dharma.