Shloka 15
विभीषणोपदेशे रावणस्य परुषवाक्यम्
Ravana’s Harsh Reply to Vibhishana’s Counsel
यथामधुकरस्तर्षात्काशपुष्पंपिबन्नपि ।रसमत्रनविन्देततथानार्वेषुसौहृदम् ।।।।
yathā madhukaras tarṣāt kāśa-puṣpaṃ pibann api | rasam atra na vindeta tathā 'nārveṣu sauhṛdam || 6.16.15 ||
Seperti lebah yang kerana dahaga menghisap bunga kāśa, namun tidak menemukan manis yang sejati; demikian juga pada orang yang tidak mulia, tiada ditemui persahabatan yang benar.
"Just as honeybees do not stay at the flower after satisfaction with the nectar, in the same way is the friendship with unworthy ones."
FAQs
Dharma encourages discernment: do not expect the ‘nectar’ of trust and affection where character is absent; true friendship rests on virtue and truth.
Rāvaṇa concludes a chain of contemptuous similes meant to deny Vibhīṣaṇa’s goodwill and to brand him ‘unworthy.’
The implied virtue is discrimination (viveka) in relationships; the larger scene contrasts Vibhīṣaṇa’s truthful counsel with Rāvaṇa’s prideful rejection.