Dharma Damned in Ramayana?

Here are some collections. In all the slokas below various characters in Ramayana deride Dharma as a useless tool

Kausalya:
1) Sloka 2-20-48उपवासैः च योगैः च बहुभिः च परिश्रमैः |
दुह्खम् सम्वर्धितः मोघम् त्वम् हि दुर्गतया मया ||
You were nourished in vain by me,the important one by fasts,by meditations, by various difficult and painful vows.
Kausalya decries religious fasting etc
2) Sloka 2-20-52इदम् तु दुःखम् यद् अनर्थकानि मे|
व्रतानि दानानि च सम्यमाः च हि |
तपः च तप्तम् यद् अपत्य कारणात् |
सुनिष्फलम् बीजम् इव उप्तम् ऊषरे ||
I feel bad since all my religious vows, charities, restraints have all gone waste.The austerity I performed for the sake of of-spring has gone in vain, as a seed sown in a saline soil.
Kausalya moans about useless religious woes



Seetha
3) Sloka 5-25-20 धिगस्तु खलु मानुष्यं धिगस्तु परवश्यताम् |
न शक्यं यत्परित्यक्तुमात्मच्छन्देन जीवितम् ||
Fie upon human condition! Fie upon being in the control of others.By what reason it is not possible according to own desire to give up life.
Under pressure from the demons Sita bemoans her birth as a human being itself
4) Sloka 5-28-12अनन्यदैवत्वमियं क्षमा च | भूमौ च शय्या नियमश्च धर्मे |
पतिव्रतात्वं विफलं ममेदम् | कृतं कृतघ्नेष्विव मानुषाणाम् ||
My not having a deity (other than my husband), this patience,my reposing on the floor, my restriction in righteousness, my devotion to the husband - all this has become a waste like a good act done by men to ungrateful men becoming waste
says good character is of no use.

Lakshmana
5) Yudha kanda sarga 83 for railing against Dharma by Lakshmana. When they are informed that Seetha has been killed, Lakshmana derides the path of dharma specifically 6-83-14 to 39. Most of these statements we hear daily and envy the successful people as corrupt and blame our misfortune on our virtue.
a) Sloka 6-83-14 शुभे वर्त्मनि तिष्ठन्तं त्वामार्यविजितेन्द्रियम् |
अनर्थेभ्यो न शक्नोति त्रातुं धर्मो निरर्थकः ||
O venerable brother! Virtue cannot save you,who are sticking to the noble path and who have subdued the senses, from adversities and is (hence) useless
Virtue cannot save you, from adversities and is (hence) useless.
b) Sloka 6-83-15 भूतानां स्थावराणां च जङ्गमानां च दर्शनम् |
यथास्ति न तथा धर्मस्तेन नास्तीति मे मतिः ||
Just as inanimate and animate beings are visible,likewise virtue and vice are not visible.Therefore,my opinion is that virtue is non-existent
Therefore, my opinion is that virtue is non-existent.
c) Sloka 6-83-16यथैव स्थावरं व्यक्तं जङ्गमं च तथाविधम् |
नायमर्थस्तथा युक्तस्त्वद्विधो न विपद्यते ||
Even as inanimate beings and animate beings are expressly visible,likewise this form of virtue of vice is not established. For,in that case,a virtuous man like you would not have this misfortune.
likewise this form of virtue of vice is not established. For, in that case, a virtuous man like you would not have this misfortune.
d) Sloka 6-83-17यद्यधर्मो भवेद्भूतो रावणो नरकं व्रजेत् |
भवांश्च धर्मसंयुक्तो नैवं व्यसनमाप्नुयात् ||
If unrighteousness had been effective,Ravana should have obtained the hell.You,endowed with virtue,would never obtain such troubles.
If unrighteousness had been effective, Ravana should have obtained the hell. You, endowed with virtue, would never obtain such troubles
e) Sloka 6-83-21यस्मादर्था विवर्धन्ते येष्वधर्मः प्रतिष्ठितः |
क्लिश्यन्ते धर्मशीलाश्च तस्मादेतौ निरर्थकौ ||
Since prosperities of those,in whom unrighteousness is rooted,develop;while those who have a conduct of virtue suffer, hence these two(virtue and vice) are useless.
Since prosperities of those, in whom unrighteousness is rooted, develop; while those who have a conduct of virtue suffer, hence these two (virtue and vice) are useless.
f) Sloka 6-83-24अदृष्टप्रतिकारेण अव्यक्तेनासता सता |
कथं शक्यं परं प्राप्तुं धर्मेणारिविकर्शन ||
O Rama,the destroyer of adversaries! It is not clear how prosperity can be reached by righteousness,which has never known how to retaliate.Hence,righteousness seems to be non-existent.
It is not clear how prosperity can be reached by righteousness, which has never known how to retaliate. Hence, righteousness seems to be non-existent.
g) Sloka 6-83-27बलस्य यदि चेद्धर्मो गुणभूतः पराक्रमे |
धर्ममुत्सृज्य वर्तस्व यथा धर्मे तथा बले ||
Depend on might,as you do now on virtue,if the virtue is subordinate to might,thus giving up predominance of virtue.
Depend on might, as you do now on virtue, if the virtue is subordinate to might, thus giving up predominance of virtue
h) Sloka 6-83-28अथ चेत्सत्यवचनं धर्मः किल परन्तप |
अनृतस्त्वय्यकरुणः किं न बद्धस्त्वया पिता ||
O tormentator of enemies! Or else,if speaking truth were indeed a virtue,our lying father,who was merciless to you,was disunited from you.Were you not bound by that announcement made by our father regarding your installation as the Prince Regent?
Or else, if speaking truth were indeed a virtue, our lying father, who was merciless to you, was disunited from you. Were you not bound by that announcement made by our father regarding your installation as the Prince Regent?
i) Sloka 6-83-33अर्थेन हि वियुक्तस्य पुरुषस्याल्पतेजसः |
व्युच्छिद्यन्ते क्रियाः सर्वा ग्रीष्मे कुसरितो यथा ||
All the tasks of a man of small intellect,bereft of his wealth,get a cessation as small rivers dry up in summer-season
All the tasks of a man of small intellect, bereft of his wealth, get a cessation as small rivers dry up in summer-season
j) Sloka 6-83-35यस्यार्थास्तस्य मित्राणि यस्यार्थास्तस्य बान्धवः |
यस्यार्थाः स पुमांल्लोके यस्यार्थाः स च पण्डितः ||
Friends gather round him,who has riches. Relatives stand by him,who has riches. He alone is virile in the world,who has riches. He alone is a learned man,who has riches
Friends gather round him, who has riches. Relatives stand by him, who has riches. He alone is virile in the world, who has riches. He alone is a learned man, who has riches.”


Rama:
Rama who is praised for abandoning the kingdom for his father’s vow blames his father for misfortune derides his fathers character.
6)A)Sloka 2-53-10 को हि अविद्वान् अपि पुमान् प्रमदायाः कृते त्यजेत् |
चन्द अनुवर्तिनम् पुत्रम् तातः माम् इव लक्ष्मण ||
what man however deluded,what father on account of a woman,at his own will and pleasure,abandon a son like myself?
Rama bemoans his fate and blames his father for his fate
B) Sloka 2-53-13 अर्थ धर्मौ परित्यज्य यः कामम् अनुवर्तते |
एवम् आपद्यते क्षिप्रम् राजा दशरथो यथा ||
He who pursues sensuous pleasures neglecting his real interests and discipline soon comes to distress;in the same way as king Dasaratha has
Blames his father as sensuous
Jabali
7)A)Sloka 2-108-4तस्मान् माता पिता च इति राम सज्जेत यो नरः |
उन्मत्त इव स ज्नेयो न अस्ति काचिद्द् हि कस्यचित् ||
O, Rama! He who clings to another,saying,'This is my father,this is my mother,he should be known as one who has lost his wits.There is none who belongs to another
condemns Parental duty by claiming it to be sign of dim wittedness
B)Sloka 2-108-05 to 06यथा ग्राम अन्तरम् गग्च्छन् नरः कश्चिद् क्वचिद् वसेत् |
उत्सृज्य च तम् आवासम् प्रतिष्ठेत अपरे अहनि ||
एवम् एव मनुष्याणाम् पिता माता गृहम् वसु |
आवास मात्रम् काकुत्स्थ सज्जन्ते न अत्र सज्जनाः ||
O, Rama! As one who passes the a strange village spends the night the and the next day leaves that place and continues his journey,so are mother,father,home and possessions to a man;they are but a resting place.The wise do not become attached to them
Advises detachment from Parents
C) Sloka 2-108-14 अष्टका पितृ दैवत्यम् इत्य् अयम् प्रसृतो जनः |
अन्नस्य उपद्रवम् पश्य मृतो हि किम् अशिष्यति ||
These people say,'The eighth day should be given up to sacrifices for the spirits of our ancestors.'See the waste of food. What will a dead man eat?
condemns after death rituals (Shradha) just as in modern days as waste of Food.
D) Sloka 2-108-15यदि भुक्तम् इह अन्येन देहम् अन्यस्य गग्च्छति |
दद्यात् प्रवसतः श्राद्धम् न तत् पथ्य् अशनम् भवेत् ||
If food eaten by one here,reaches another's body,then let a sacrifice be offered for those who are setting out on a distant journey.Will it not become a food on their path?
will food eaten by Brahmin reach another then can you feed him when is going on long journey this way?
E) Sloka 2-108-16 दान सम्वनना ह्य् एते ग्रन्था मेधाविभिः कृताः |
यजस्व देहि दीक्षस्व तपः तप्यस्व सम्त्यज ||
Perform sacrifices, distribute gifts, consecrate yourselves, practise ansterity and renunciation' - These writings are composed by learned men for the sake of inducing others to give
Charity is prescribed to induce others to give else it has no
F) Sloka 2-108-17 स न अस्ति परम् इत्य् एव कुरु बुद्धिम् महा मते |
प्रत्यक्षम् यत् तद् आतिष्ठ परोक्षम् पृष्ठतः कुरु ||
O,the highly wise! Arrive at a conclusion, therefore, that there is nothing beyond this Universe.Give precedence to that which meets the eye and turn our back on what is beyond our knowledge.
There is nothing beyond this universe be Practical

In conclusion we find Dharma being derided by one and all characters in Ramayana in Ayodyakanda, Aranyakanda, Kishkindakanda, Sundarakanda, and Yudhakanda. Whereas we are told to believe Rama as a person who follows Dharma and Ramayana as work which persuades us to faithfully Dharma, how come in so many places Dharma is condemned?


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All Sloka Translations are from the site Valmiki Ramayana

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