Ramayana — Bala Kanda, Sarga 63, Shloka 26
विश्वामित्रस्य तपोविघ्नः, मेनकाप्रसङ्गः, महर्षिपदप्रदानम्
Visvamitra’s Austerity Obstructed; Menaka Episode; Conferment of Maharshi Status
रम्भामप्सरसं शक्र स्सह सर्वैर्मरुद्गणै:।उवाचात्महितं वाक्यमहितं कौशिकस्य च।।।।
rambhām apsarasaṃ śakraḥ saha sarvair marudgaṇaiḥ | uvāca ātmahitaṃ vākyam ahitaṃ kauśikasya ca ||
Śakra (Indra), junto de todas as hostes dos Maruts, falou à apsarás Rambhā palavras para seu próprio proveito e para o dano de Kauśika (Viśvāmitra).
As the period passed, Viswamitra the mighty ascetic was filled with grief, anxiety andremorse.
FAQs
Dharma critique of self-interest: speech driven by personal gain (ātma-hita) that intends another’s harm (ahita) is ethically compromised, even if spoken by a powerful deity.
Indra, with the Maruts, plans to disrupt Viśvāmitra’s tapas by deploying Rambhā as a temptation.
The verse foregrounds a lack of virtue—political expediency over righteousness—setting up the ethical tension between ascetic striving and divine insecurity.