Canto 3 -
Araṇya-kāṇḍa
Chapter 48: Sītā-devī Condemns Rāvaṇa
Text 3.48.21
कथं वैश्रवणं देवं सर्वभूतनमस्कृतम्।
भ्रातरं व्यपदिश्य त्वमशुभं कर्तुमिच्छसि॥
kathaṁ vaiśravaṇaṁ devaṁ sarva-bhūta-namaskṛtam
bhrātaraṁ vyapadiśya tvam aśubhaṁ kartum icchasi
katham = how is it [then] that; vaiśravaṇam devam = Kuvera-deva; sarva-bhūta-namaskṛtam = is respected by all [civilized] creatures; bhrātaram = him as your brother; vyapadiśya = portray; tvam = and you; aśubham = this inauspicious activity; kartum = to engage in; icchasi = you desire.
Kuvera-deva is respected by all [civilized] creatures and you portray him as your brother. How is it [then] that you desire to engage in this inauspicious activity?
She intends to ask him, “How is it that you engage in sinful activities while being the brother of Kuvera, a pious soul?”
NOTE. In Bhagavad-gītā 2.14, Lord Kṛṣṇa addresses Arjuna as Kaunteya (“O son of Kuntī”) and Bhārata (“O descendant of Bharata”). Prabhupāda remarks in his purport, “The two different names of address given to Arjuna are also significant. To address him as Kaunteya signifies his great blood relations from his mother’s side; and to address him as Bhārata signifies his greatness from his father’s side. From both sides he is supposed to have a great heritage. A great heritage brings responsibility in the matter of proper discharge of duties.”
Similarly, the brother of the pious soul Vaiśravaṇa is duty-bound to be as pious as him.