Valmiki Ramayana 2.67.32: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 67, Shloka 32

अयोध्यायां शोक-रात्रिः तथा अराजक-राष्ट्रस्य नीतिविचारः

The Night of Lamentation in Ayodhya and the Political Ethics of a Kingless Realm

Addressed to VasisthaSetting: Ayodhyā / Kosala realm (implied)

Devanagari script

ये हि सम्भिन्नमर्यादा नास्तिकाश्छिन्नसंशयाः ।

तेऽपि भावाय कल्पन्ते राजदण्डनिपीडिताः ॥३२॥

Recitation with translationValmiki Ramayana 2.67.32

Transliteration

ye hi sambhinnamaryādā nāstikāś chinnasaṃśayāḥ |

te 'pi bhāvāya kalpante rājadaṇḍanipīḍitāḥ ||32||

Translation

Nawet ci, którzy łamią granice moralności, ateiści odrzucający wszelkie skrupuły, zostają doprowadzeni do prawego postępowania, gdy dosięgnie ich kara królewska.

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Word by Word

• ये: those who
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Sarvanāma (सर्वनाम), Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Plural (बहुवचन)
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)

• हि: indeed/for
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: Nipāta (निपात), emphatic/causal particle
• Role: Sambandha/Discourse particle (सम्बन्ध/निपात)

• सम्भिन्न-मर्यादाः: those with broken bounds (of propriety)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sambhinna (सम्+√bhid्, कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक) + maryādā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Plural (बहुवचन); compound qualifying 'ye'
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Compound: Karmadharaya

• नास्तिकाः: atheists/deniers
• Type: Noun
• Root: nāstika (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Plural (बहुवचन); apposition to 'ye'
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)

• छिन्न-संशयाः: with doubts cut off (free from doubts)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: chinna (√chid्, कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक) + saṃśaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Plural (बहुवचन); appositional qualifier
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Compound: Karmadharaya

• ते: they
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Sarvanāma (सर्वनाम), Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Plural (बहुवचन)
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)

• अपि: also/even
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: Nipāta (निपात), additive/concessive particle
• Role: Sambandha/Discourse particle (सम्बन्ध/निपात)

• भावाय: for good conduct/virtue (right path)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhāva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Dative (चतुर्थी/4), Singular (एकवचन); purpose (प्रयोजन)
• Role: Sampradana/Purpose (सम्प्रदान/प्रयोजन)

• कल्पन्ते: become/turn to; adopt
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kḷp (धातु)
• Form: Laṭ-lakāra (लट्/Present), Prathama-puruṣa (प्रथमपुरुष), Plural (बहुवचन), Ātmanepada (आत्मनेपद)
• Role: Kriyā (क्रिया)

• राज-दण्ड-निपीडिताः: pressed/oppressed by the king's punishment
• Type: Adjective
• Root: rājan (प्रातिपदिक) + daṇḍa (प्रातिपदिक) + nipīḍita (नि+√pīḍ्, कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Plural (बहुवचन); past passive participle used adjectivally; instrumental sense implicit: 'by royal punishment'
• Role: Karta (कर्ता)
• Compound: Tatpurusha

Sandhi Notes

• तेऽपि = ते + अपि
• नास्तिकाश्छिन्नसंशयाः = नास्तिकाः + छिन्नसंशयाः

Context

Atheists, who disregard the bounds of morality and live freely dispelling doubts will tend to follow virtuous path out of fear when subjected to royal punishment.

The teaching

Even those who reject moral restraint are guided toward right conduct when the state enforces just consequences; punishment, rightly applied, protects the innocent and stabilizes dharma.

Duties in tension

• Compassion toward wrongdoers vs duty to punish for public good
• Individual liberty vs societal moral boundaries

Ethical theme

Justice / governance ethics

How it resolves

Daṇḍa as corrective instrument aligned with dharma

For your practice

Supports reflection on self-discipline: when inner restraint fails, adopt external vows/rules as ‘daṇḍa’ to return to right conduct.

Mood and themes

Rasa

Raudra (fury), with Shanta (peace)

Mood

Stern, disciplining, stabilizing

Themes

• Dharma
• Rajadharma
• Daṇḍa-nīti
• Ethics
• Moral restraint

Symbolism

Cross references

Meter and recitation

Characters & Entities

• maryādā (moral boundary)

FAQs

What is the core ethical principle (Dharma) in this verse?

The verse frames punishment (daṇḍa) as a corrective tool: governance restrains those who would otherwise disregard dharma, guiding society back toward moral order.

What is the narrative situation?

The speakers argue that kingship is necessary not only for the good but also to restrain the lawless after the king’s death.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

The ruler’s firmness and impartial enforcement of justice.