Ramayana — Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 61, Shloka 17
कौसल्याविलापः
Kausalya’s Lament and Ethical Analogies on Kingship
हविराज्यं पुरोडाशाः कुशा यूपाश्च खादिराः।नैतानि यातयामानि कुर्वन्ति पुनरध्वरे।।2.61.17।।
havir ājyaṃ puroḍāśāḥ kuśā yūpāś ca khādirāḥ |
naitāni yātayāmāni kurvanti punar adhvare || 2.61.17 ||
گھی کی آہوتی، پوروداش کے کیک، کوش گھاس اور کھدِر کی یُوپ لکڑیاں—جو پرانی ہو چکی ہوں اور پہلے برتی جا چکی ہوں—انہیں یَجْن میں دوبارہ کام میں نہیں لایا جاتا۔
In the same way Rama will not accept this kingdom enjoyed by others like liquour or soma juice drained of its essence.
FAQs
Dharma values purity and propriety: what is ‘spent’ or improperly reused becomes unfit—an analogy for political legitimacy and moral cleanliness.
The speaker uses Vedic ritual standards to argue that what has already been used (or tainted by prior use) should not be reused—preparing the comparison to the kingdom.
Commitment to ritual and moral order: appropriateness (aucitya) and purity (śauca) as measures of right action.