Shloka 22
न हि ते मर्षये पापं क्षत्रियोऽहं कुलोद्भवः।औरसीं भगिनीं वापि भार्यां वाप्यनुजस्य यः।।प्रचरेत नरः कामात्तस्य दण्डो वधः स्मृतः।
na hi te marṣaye pāpaṃ kṣatriyo 'haṃ kulodbhavaḥ | aurasīṃ bhaginīṃ vāpi bhāryāṃ vāpy anujasya yaḥ || pracaret naraḥ kāmāt tasya daṇḍo vadhaḥ smṛtaḥ ||
Ta sẽ không dung thứ tội lỗi của ngươi; ta là một kṣatriya sinh từ dòng dõi cao quý. Kẻ nào vì dục vọng mà xâm phạm con gái ruột, hay chị/em gái ruột, hoặc vợ của em trai mình—theo smṛti, hình phạt đã định là tử hình.
'I am a kshatriya born of a good family. I will not pardon you for your sin. Whosoever transgresses dharma against his own daughter, sister or brother's wife out of lust should be killed according to smriti.
FAQs
Sexual conduct is bounded by dharma; violating protected kin-relations is treated as a grave adharma, and classical legal-ethical tradition (smṛti) frames severe punishment for such acts.
Rama justifies punishing Vali by citing Vali’s taking of his brother Sugriva’s wife, aligning it with condemned transgressions described in dharma-text traditions.
Rama’s adherence to scripturally grounded justice—he presents himself as duty-bound, not personally vindictive.