Shloka 4
अयोध्याकाण्डे द्विषष्टितमः सर्गः
Kausalyā consoles Daśaratha; grief, remorse, and nightfall
तस्य चिन्तयमानस्य प्रत्याभात्कर्म दुष्कृतम्।यदनेन कृतं पूर्वमज्ञानाच्छब्दवेधिना।।।।
tasya cintayamānasya pratyābhāt karma duṣkṛtam | yad anena kṛtaṃ pūrvam ajñānāc chabdavedhinā ||
Als er nachsann, blitzte ihm eine sündige Tat wieder auf—was er einst in Unwissenheit getan hatte, als er den Pfeil nur nach dem Klang abschoss.
This is the fifth night of Rama's exile, but it is like five years to me whose joy has been destroyed by sorrow.
FAQs
Even unintended harm (born of ignorance) carries moral consequence; dharma requires accountability and recognition of past wrongdoing.
Daśaratha’s mind returns to his earlier accidental killing (the ‘śabdavedhī’ incident), now resurfacing amid his present grief.
Moral awareness: the capacity to recall and judge one’s own actions truthfully is presented as a serious inner reckoning.