Shloka 74
गोदावरीतटे सीतान्वेषणम्
The Search for Sītā at the Godāvarī
यथा जरा यथा मृत्युर्यथा कालो यथा विधिः।नित्यं न प्रतिहन्यन्ते सर्वभूतेषु लक्ष्मण।।।।तथाहं क्रोधसंयुक्तो न निवार्योऽस्मि सर्वथा।
yathā jarā yathā mṛtyur yathā kālo yathā vidhiḥ |
nityaṃ na pratihanyante sarvabhūteṣu lakṣmaṇa ||
tathāhaṃ krodha-saṃyukto na nivāryo ’smi sarvathā ||
Assim como, entre todos os seres, a velhice e a morte—o tempo e o destino—são sempre inevitáveis e não podem ser repelidos, assim também, ó Lakṣmaṇa, quando estou unido à ira, não posso ser contido de modo algum.
Just as all beings in this world cannot avoid age and death, or defy time and fate so also none can prevent me at all when I am angry, O Lakshmana !
FAQs
The verse highlights inevitability (kāla/vidhi) and warns of the destructive power of krodha; dharma calls for self-restraint, because anger—if indulged—overrides discernment and harms righteous action.
In the anguish after Sītā’s abduction, Rāma’s grief turns into fierce anger; he tells Lakṣmaṇa that, like time and death, his wrath is presently unstoppable.
By contrast, the virtue implied is self-control (dama/kṣamā); Lakṣmaṇa is positioned as the steady counselor who must help Rāma return from anger to dharmic resolve.