Ramayana — Yuddha Kanda, Sarga 83, Shloka 19
त्र्यशीतितमः सर्गः (Sarga 83)
Hanumān Reports Sītā’s ‘Slaying’; Rāma Collapses; Lakṣmaṇa’s Counter-Discourse on Dharma and Artha
धर्मेणोपलभेद्धर्ममधर्मंचाप्यधर्मतः ।यद्यधर्मेणयुज्येयुर्येष्वधर्मःप्रतिष्ठितः ।।6.83.19।।यदिधर्मेणवियुज्येरन्नधर्मरुचयोजनाः ।धर्मेणचरतांधर्मंचैषांधर्मफलंभवेत् ।।6.83.20।।
dharmeṇopalabhed dharmam adharmaṃ cāpy adharmataḥ |
yady adharmeṇa yujyeyur yeṣv adharmaḥ pratiṣṭhitaḥ ||6.83.19||
धर्मेण एव धर्मं लभेत, अधर्मतः च अधर्मम्; येषु अधर्मः प्रतिष्ठितः, ते यदि अधर्मेण युज्येरन्, तेषां गतिः तदनुरूपा भवेत्।
"O gentle Jambavan! The terrifying sound of weapons is heard. Surely Hanuman has done a difficult task."
FAQs
Moral causality is reaffirmed: dharma is attained through dharmic conduct, while adharma accrues through adharmic conduct—means and ends are ethically continuous.
A rebuttal within a debate: the text pivots from ‘dharma is meaningless’ to a karma-based account where actions shape outcomes.
Moral clarity (viveka): distinguishing right means from wrong means and insisting that conduct matters.