Ramayana — Yuddha Kanda, Sarga 66, Shloka 20
कुम्भकर्णप्रस्थानम् तथा अङ्गदप्रेरणा
Kumbhakarna’s sortie and Angada’s rallying of the Vanaras
निरायुधानांद्रवतामसङ्गगतिपौरुषाः ।।।।दाराह्युपहसिष्यन्ति स वैघातस्तुजीवताम् ।
nirāyudhānāṃ dravatām asaṅgagatipauruṣāḥ |
dārā hy upahasiṣyanti sa vaighātas tu jīvatām ||
Ó guerreiros de valor irresistível: se fugirdes desarmados, as vossas próprias esposas zombarão de vós. Para quem vive após tamanha desonra, esse golpe é pior que a morte.
"Monkeys! Your valour can't be challenged. If you run away for life abandoning weapons even your wives will ridicule you. That is more than death."
FAQs
Dharma is tied to honour and responsibility: living after abandoning duty brings social and inner dishonour that is portrayed as worse than death.
Aṅgada uses moral pressure and the prospect of ridicule to stop the troops from fleeing the battlefield.
Sense of honour (māna) aligned with duty—courage is sustained by accountability to one’s community.