Ramayana — Yuddha Kanda, Sarga 35, Shloka 13
माल्यवानुपदेशः
Malyavan’s Counsel, Portents in Laṅkā, and the Proposal of Alliance
धर्मोहिश्रूयतेपक्षीह्यमराणांमहात्मनाम् ।।।।अधर्मोरक्षसांपक्षोह्यसुराणांचराक्षस ।
dharmo hi śrūyate pakṣī hy amarāṇāṁ mahātmanām | adharmo rakṣasāṁ pakṣo hy asurāṇāṁ ca rākṣasa |
‘தர்மம்’ எனக் கூறப்படுவது மகாத்மையான அமரர்களின் (தேவர்களின்) பக்கம்; ‘அதர்மம்’ என்பது ராக்ஷசர்களின் பக்கம், அசுரர்களின் பக்கமும், ஓ ராக்ஷசா.
"The great souls were towards righteousness and Rakshasas took the side of unrighteousness."
FAQs
Dharma is presented as the defining allegiance of the noble; choosing adharma is not merely a tactic but a self-identification with destructive forces.
The speaker categorizes the war as a moral contest, warning Rāvaṇa that his faction is aligned with adharma.
Satya (truthfulness) in admonition—naming wrongdoing plainly rather than softening it.