Shloka 22
अरण्यकाण्डे द्वात्रिंशः सर्गः
Śūrpaṇakhā’s Report to Rāvaṇa and the Panegyric of His Might
तं दिव्यवस्त्राभरणं दिव्यमाल्योपशोभितम्।आसने सूपविष्टं च कालकालमिवोद्यतम्।।।।
taṃ divyavastrābharaṇaṃ divyamālyopaśobhitam |
āsane sūpaviṣṭaṃ ca kālakālam ivodyatam ||
她见他身披神圣衣饰、佩戴天界珠宝，复以仙花鬘庄严；端坐宝座之上，宛如“死神之死”，蓄势待发。
Resplendently attired, adorned with jewels, wearing beautiful gardlands, seated on a raised throne, he(Ravana) was like death to even the lord of death;
FAQs
Outer splendor can mask inner unrighteousness; Dharma evaluates character and conduct, not display. The verse uses grandeur to heighten the danger of power divorced from moral restraint.
The scene frames Rāvaṇa’s courtly presence just before Śūrpaṇakhā speaks, increasing dramatic tension.
The implied virtue is humility and self-control—contrasted with a ruler presented as terrifyingly ‘death-like’ in dominance.