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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 3.31.6
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 argues that a ruler who neglects business, intelligence, and the protection of his territory will lose both authority and Kingdom
3.31.6
ye na rakṣanti viṣayam asvādhīnā narādhipaḥ
te na vṛddhyā prakāśante girayaḥ sāgare yathā
Kings who, not being their own masters, do not guard their realm do not shine forth in prosperity, like mountains sunk in the sea.
Words: ye — who (pl.); na rakṣanti — do not guard; viṣayam — the realm, territory; asvādhīnā — not their own masters; narādhipaḥ — kings (lords of men); te — they; na vṛddhyā prakāśante — do not shine with prosperity; girayaḥ — mountains; sāgare — in the sea; yathā — as
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.