Ramayana — Yuddha Kanda, Sarga 60, Shloka 74
कुम्भकर्णविबोधनम्
The Awakening of Kumbhakarna
एकेनवानरेणेयंपूर्वंदग्धामहापुरी ।कुमारोनिहतश्चाक्षस्सानुयात्रःसकुञ्जरः ।।।।
ekena vānarene yaṃ pūrvaṃ dagdhā mahāpurī |kumāro nihataś cākṣaḥ sānuyātraḥ sakuñjaraḥ ||
“Trước đây, chỉ bởi một vānara mà kinh thành vĩ đại này đã bị thiêu rụi; và hoàng tử Akṣa cũng bị giết—cùng đoàn tùy tùng, thậm chí cả voi chiến.”
"Earlier this great city was burnt by a single Vanara who killed Prince Aksha, and his elephants and followers."
FAQs
Dharma favors honest remembrance of facts: ignoring earlier signs of righteous power (Hanumān’s feat) leads to reckless choices and greater harm.
The speaker cites a concrete past event—Laṅkā’s burning and Akṣa’s death—to prove that the enemy’s capability is real and already demonstrated.
Prudence grounded in evidence: learning from prior events rather than being ruled by ego.