Ramayana — Yuddha Kanda, Sarga 83, Shloka 26
त्र्यशीतितमः सर्गः (Sarga 83)
Hanumān Reports Sītā’s ‘Slaying’; Rāma Collapses; Lakṣmaṇa’s Counter-Discourse on Dharma and Artha
अथवादुर्बलःक्लीबोबलंधर्मोऽनुवर्तते ।दुर्बलोहृतमर्यादो न सेव्यइतिमेमतिः ।।6.83.26।।
athavā durbalaḥ klībo balaṃ dharmo 'nuvartate | durbalo hṛta-maryādo na sevya iti me matiḥ ||6.83.26||
或者说，正法（dharma）软弱无力，只是追随强力而行。我以为：软弱且失其界限的法，不值得奉行。
"Or else dharma becomes feeble, ineffective, submits to might, then it is better not to follow such dharma which is feeble, I think."
FAQs
It warns that if dharma becomes subordinate to power and loses its regulating boundaries (maryādā), it ceases to function as a true moral guide.
In the pressure of war and prolonged injustice, the speaker considers whether moral restraint is practical when force seems to dominate outcomes.
Protective zeal—an impulse to ensure righteousness is not reduced to weakness.