Ramayana — Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 63, Shloka 13
दशरथस्य शोकानुचिन्तनं शब्धवेधि-दोषस्मरणं च
Daśaratha’s grief, karmic reflection, and the remembered ‘śabdavedhī’ misdeed
यथान्यः पुरुषः कश्चित्पलाशैर्मोहितो भवेत्।एवं ममाऽप्यविज्ञातं शब्दवेध्यमयं फलम्।।2.63.13।।
yathānyaḥ puruṣaḥ kaścit palāśair mohito bhavet |
evaṃ mamā ’py avijñātaṃ śabdavedhyamayaṃ phalam ||
Just as some man may be misled by palāśa blossoms, so too I failed to foresee the consequence born of my ‘shooting by sound.’
Like some one who is deluded by palasa trees I too did not realise the consequences of shooting the target following the direction of the sound.
FAQs
Dharma includes foresight and carefulness: delusion or heedlessness can hide consequences, but karma still matures and returns as ‘phala’ (result).
Daśaratha explains that at the time of his famed sound-based archery, he did not recognize the future repercussions of that act.
Prudence by contrast: the verse highlights the lack of prudence as the root of harm, indirectly teaching the virtue of cautious discernment.