The owl also said: "At the time when the earth was (first) adorned with trees that this nest of mine was constructed." Hearing these words, Rama said to the councillors:-"That assembly is not an assembly where there are no friends—nor are they old men who do not dwell upon religious topics. That religion is not a religion where there is no truth and that truth is not the truth where there is hypocrisy. Those councillors are liars who do not give proper replies in time on the subjects they are well-informed on. He who does give reply to a question under the influence of passion, anger or fear, binds himself with. thousand nooses of Varuņa, and at the expiration of full one year he is released from a single sin.” Hearing these words, the ministers said to Rāma: "0 you having a large mind, what the owl has said is true the vulture has not spoken the truth. You are the evidence this, O great king-for the king is the last refuge of all-the root of the subject and the eternal religion. He who is punished by the king, is not doomed in a degraded state. He is, in truth, saved from the fear of hell and reaches a better state."
उलूकश्चाब्रवीद्रामं पादपैरुपशोभिता। यदेयं पृथिवी राजंस्तदाप्रभृति मे गृहम्॥ एतच्छुत्वा तु वै रामः सभासदमुवाच ह॥ न सा सभा यत्र न सन्ति वृद्धा वृद्धा न ते ये न वदन्ति धर्मम्। नासौ धर्मो यत्र न सत्यमस्ति न तत्सत्यं यच्छलेनानुविद्धम्॥ ये तु सभ्याः सदा ज्ञात्वा तूष्णीं ध्यायन्त आसते। यथाप्राप्तं न बुवते ते सर्वेऽनृतवादिनः॥ जानन वाब्रवीत्प्रश्नान्कामात्क्रोधाद्भयात्तथा। सहस्रं वारुणान्याशानात्मनि प्रतिमुञ्चति॥ तेषां संवत्सरे पूर्णे पाश एकः प्रमुच्यते। तस्मात्सत्येन वक्तव्यं जानता सत्यमञ्जसा॥ एतच्छ्रुत्वा तु सचिवा राममेवाद्वंस्तदा। उलूकः शोभते राजन्न तु गृयो महामते॥ त्वं प्रमाणं महाराज राजा हि परमा गतिः। राजमूलाः प्रजाः सर्वा राजा धर्मः सनातनः॥ शास्ता नृणां नृपो येषां ते न गच्छन्ति दुर्गतिम्। वैवस्वतेन मुक्तास्तु भवन्ति पुरुषोत्तमाः॥