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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 3.31.17
Araṇya Kāṇḍa, sarga 31: Śūrpaṇakhā rebukes Rāvaṇa. She exposes his ignorance of Janasthāna’s destruction and warns that pleasure, failed intelligence and neglect will cost him his Kingdom
In the sequence: she warns that a harsh, arrogant, inaccessible ruler will find no support when disaster comes
3.31.17
śuṣkakāṣṭhair bhavet kāryaṃ loṣṭair api ca pāṃsubhiḥ
na tu sthānāt paribhraṣṭaiḥ kāryaṃ syād vasudhādhipaiḥ
Some use may be had of dry sticks, and even of clods and dust, but no use at all can be had of kings fallen from their station.
Words: śuṣkakāṣṭhair — with dry sticks; bhavet — there might be; kāryaṃ — use, purpose; loṣṭair — with clods; api ca — and even; pāṃsubhiḥ — with dust; na tu — but not; sthānāt — from (their) station; paribhraṣṭaiḥ — with those fallen; kāryaṃ — use, purpose; syād — there would be; vasudhādhipaiḥ — with kings (lords of the earth)
Composed by Maharṣi Vālmīki, the ādikavi of the ādikāvya: the first poet of the first poem. Sanskrit: The Vālmīki-Rāmāyaṇa: Critical Edition, Oriental Institute, Baroda, 1960–1975 (gen. eds. G. H. Bhatt, U. P. Shah); IAST from GRETIL (Göttingen). Translation and word glosses: Claude Opus 4.6–4.7; summaries and sequences: ChatGPT Astra (machine-made). Numbering follows the Critical Edition, not the vulgate (e.g. Gita Press, valmikiramayan.net), so sarga and verse numbers can differ from those editions.