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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 3.48.9

Araṇya Kāṇḍa, sarga 48: Jaṭāyu confronts Rāvaṇa. The aged vulture condemns the abduction, demands Sītā’s release and challenges the armed ruler despite his own disadvantage

In the sequence: he reminds Rāvaṇa that subjects follow their King's example and that power cannot endure through wrongdoing

3.48.9

rājā dharmaś ca kāmaś ca dravyāṇāṃ cottamo nidhiḥ
dharmaḥ śubhaṃ vā pāpaṃ vā rājamūlaṃ pravartate

'The king is dharma, he is desire, and he is the supreme repository of wealth; dharma itself, and whatever good or evil arises, has its root in the king.'

Words: rājā — the king; dharmaś — dharma; ca — and; kāmaś — desire; ca — and; dravyāṇāṃ — of goods, wealth; cottamo — and the highest; nidhiḥ — treasury, repository; dharmaḥ — dharma; śubhaṃ — good; vā — or; pāpaṃ — evil; vā — or; rājamūlaṃ — rooted in the king; pravartate — proceeds, arises

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.