Ramayana — Aranya Kanda, Sarga 55, Shloka 14
रावणस्य सीताप्रलोभनम्
Ravana’s Attempt to Allure Sita
दश राक्षसकोट्यश्च द्वाविंशतिरथापराः।तेषां प्रभुरहं सीते सर्वेषां भीमकर्मणाम्।।3.55.14।।वर्जयित्वा जरावृद्धान्बालांश्च रजनीचरान्।
daśa rākṣasakoṭyaś ca dvāviṃśatir athāparāḥ |
teṣāṃ prabhur ahaṃ sīte sarveṣāṃ bhīmakarmaṇām ||3.55.14||
varjayitvā jarāvṛddhān bālāṃś ca rajanīcarān |
“Hỡi Sītā, trừ những dạ-xoa già yếu và trẻ thơ ra, ta là chúa tể của tất cả—mười koṭi rākṣasa lại thêm hai mươi hai koṭi nữa—đều là những kẻ hành nghiệp đáng sợ.”
O Sita, leaving aside children and the aged, I am the lord of crores of night-rangers in addition to ten crore demons and twentytwo crore terrorists.
FAQs
Dharma rejects intimidation as a basis for relationship or consent; boasting of power to pressure another is a hallmark of Adharma.
Rāvaṇa begins his pitch to Sītā by advertising the scale of his forces and his supremacy among them.
Sītā’s moral courage is the implied counterpoint: righteousness does not yield to threats or displays of dominance.