Ramayana — Yuddha Kanda, Sarga 7, Shloka 13
राक्षसपरिषद्वाक्यम्
Counsel of the Rakshasa Court to Ravana
स्वबलंसमुपाश्रित्यनीतावशमरिन्दम ।मायाश्चाधिगतास्तत्रबह्व्योवैराक्षसाधिप ।।।।
svabalaṃ samupāśritya nītā vaśam arindama | māyāś cādhigatās tatra bahvyo vai rākṣasādhipa ||
Hỡi chúa tể Rākṣasa, bậc hàng phục kẻ thù, nương tựa vào sức mình, ngài đã khiến họ phải quy phục; và chính tại đó, từ họ, ngài học được vô số huyễn thuật (māyā).
"O king of Rakshasas! (Those Danavas) were reduced to sub mission by resorting to your own strength. Oh! subduer of enemies, many deceitful tricks were learned from them."
FAQs
It indirectly contrasts righteous power with manipulative power: reliance on sheer force and learned deception (māyā) can subdue others, but in the Ramayana such means are ethically suspect when used against dharma.
In Laṅkā’s war-council context, a speaker praises the rākṣasa side’s might and stratagems, addressing Rāvaṇa and recalling how subjugation and māyā-knowledge were achieved.
Martial capability and strategic cunning are emphasized (arindama; māyā-adhigama), though the epic later frames such qualities as inferior to dharmic righteousness.