Ramayana — Sundara Kanda, Sarga 5, Shloka 16
चन्द्रप्रकाशे लङ्कानिरीक्षणम्
Moonlit Survey of Lanka and the Unfound Sita
ननन्द दृष्ट्वा स च तान् सुरूपान्नानागुणानात्मगुणानुरूपान्।विद्योतमानान्स तदानुरूपान् ददर्श कांश्चिच्च पुनर्विरूपान्।।5.5.16।।
nananda dṛṣṭvā sa ca tān surūpān nānāguṇān ātmaguṇānurūpān |vidyotamānān sa tadānurūpān dadarśa kāṁś cic ca punar virūpān ||5.5.16||
ਉਹਨਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਵੇਖ ਕੇ—ਸੁਰੂਪ, ਅਨੇਕ ਗੁਣਾਂ ਨਾਲ ਯੁਕਤ, ਆਪਣੇ ਗੁਣਾਂ ਅਨੁਸਾਰ ਹੀ ਦਿਪਤ—ਉਹ ਪ੍ਰਸੰਨ ਹੋਇਆ; ਪਰ ਫਿਰ ਉਸ ਨੇ ਕੁਝ ਵਿਗੜੇ ਰੂਪ ਵਾਲੇ ਵੀ ਵੇਖੇ, ਜਿਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਦਾ ਚਿਹਰਾ ਵੀ ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਦੇ ਸੁਭਾਵ ਅਨੁਸਾਰ ਸੀ।
He rejoiced to see the handsome demons radiant with forms commensurate with their virtues. He also saw some ugly figures, their traits in conformity to their forms.
FAQs
It reinforces the linkage between inner character and outer expression: dharma cultivates harmony of qualities and conduct; adharma produces discord and deformity (symbolically and socially).
While assessing Laṅkā’s inhabitants, Hanumān notes both admirable and repulsive figures among the rākṣasas.
Moral perception: he can distinguish radiance born of merit from ugliness reflecting vice.
Read Valmiki Ramayana in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with audio, word-by-word meanings, and more.