Thy guilty hands this day have done A deed which all reprove and shun, Unworthly of a noble chief, The pillage loved by coward thief. Stay, if thy heart allow thee, stay And meet me in the deadly fray. Soon shall thou stain the earth with gore, And fall as Khara fell before. The fruits of former deeds o'erpower The sinner in his dying hour: And such a fate on thee, O King, Thy tyranny and madness bring. Not e'en the Self-existent Lord, Who reigns by all the worlds adored, Would dare attempt a guilty deed Which the dire fruits of crime succeed."Ramayana 3.295c · Ramayana · 3
Ramayana 3.295c
Ramayana · translated by Ralph T.H. Griffith
Themes in this passage
KarmaDeathThe DivineLeadershipLoveNatureSinTemptation
Karma in other traditions
The same theme, as Christianity, Islam, Buddhism and Taoism address it.
They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.Psalms 126:5 · Bible · Psalms
The good deed and the evil deed are not alike. Repel the evil deed with one which is better, then lo! he, between whom and thee there was enmity (will become) as though he was a bosom friend.Quran 41:34 · Quran
He whose evil deeds are covered by good deeds, brightens up this world, like the moon when freed from clouds.Dhp 13.173 · Dhammapada · The World
The movement of the Tao By contraries proceeds; And weakness marks the course Of Tao's mighty deeds.Tao Te Ching 40.1 · Tao Te Ching
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