Valmiki Ramayana 2.63.4: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 63, Shloka 4
दशरथस्य शोकानुचिन्तनं शब्धवेधि-दोषस्मरणं च
Daśaratha’s grief, karmic reflection, and the remembered ‘śabdavedhī’ misdeed
स राजा रजनीं षष्ठीं रामे प्रव्राजिते वनम् ।
अर्धरात्रे दशरथ स्संस्मरन् दुष्कृतं कृतम् ॥४॥
sa rājā rajanīṃ ṣaṣṭhīṃ rāme pravrājite vanam |
ardharātre daśarathaḥ saṃsmaran duṣkṛtaṃ kṛtam ||4||
Als Rāma in den Wald verbannt worden war, verbrachte König Daśaratha die sechste Nacht; um Mitternacht erinnerte er sich immer wieder an die einst begangene böse Tat.
After the banishment of Rama the king spent the sixth night, recalling the evil deed done by him in the past.
FAQs
The verse presents karma aligned with dharma: past wrongdoing returns as inner torment and worldly suffering. Ethical actions are not erased by time; they mature into consequences.
After Rāma’s exile, Daśaratha lies awake on the sixth night, haunted by remembrance of his earlier sin, setting the stage for the Śravaṇa episode’s recollection.
Moral awareness (even if late): Daśaratha’s remembrance indicates recognition of guilt and the truth of moral causality.
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