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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 3.31.18
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
3.31.18
upabhuktaṃ yathā vāsaḥ srajo vā mṛditā yathā
evaṃ rājyāt paribhraṣṭaḥ samartho 'pi nirarthakaḥ
Like a garment already worn out, or like a garland crushed, so a man fallen from his kingship, though capable, is useless.
Words: upabhuktaṃ — used up, worn out; yathā — as; vāsaḥ — a garment; srajo vā — or a garland; mṛditā — crushed, trampled; yathā — as; evaṃ — so; rājyāt — from his kingship; paribhraṣṭaḥ — fallen; samartho 'pi — though capable; nirarthakaḥ — useless, purposeless
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.