← 3.31.7 · Araṇya Kāṇḍa 31: Śūrpaṇakhā rebukes Rāvaṇa · 3.31.9 →
Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 3.31.8
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
3.31.8
yeṣāṃ cāraś ca kośaś ca nayaś ca jayatāṃ vara
asvādhīnā narendrāṇāṃ prākṛtais te janaiḥ samāḥ
O best of conquerors, those kings whose espionage, treasury, and policy are not under their own control are the equal of common men.
Words: yeṣāṃ — of whom; cāraś ca — and espionage; kośaś ca — and treasury; nayaś ca — and policy; jayatāṃ vara — O best of conquerors; asvādhīnā — not under their own control; narendrāṇāṃ — of the kings; prākṛtais — with common; te — they; janaiḥ — men; samāḥ — equal
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.