Shloka 12
रावणोत्पत्तिः—तपसा वरलाभश्च
Rāvaṇa’s Origins and the Acquisition of Boons
ते सत्यमाहु: कर्तव्या दयास्माभिवनौकसाम् | साष्टमासं हि नो वर्ष यदेतदुपयुड्क्ष्महे,“मेरी समझमें वे पशु ठीक कहते हैं। हमलोगोंको वनवासी हिंस्नर जीवोंपर भी दया करनी चाहिये। अबतक हमलोगोंको इस द्वैतवनमें रहते हुए एक वर्ष आठ महीने बीत चुके हैं
te satyam āhuḥ kartavyā dayāsmābhir vanaukāsām | sāṣṭamāsaṃ hi no varṣa yad etad upayuñkṣmahe ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “Those creatures speak the truth. We forest-dwellers ought to show compassion—even toward the violent beings of the wilderness. For by now, as we have been living in this Dvaitavana, a year and eight months have passed.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in harsh wilderness conditions, dharma requires dayā (compassion). The verse affirms that moral conduct is not suspended by danger; forest-dwellers should cultivate mercy even toward aggressive creatures.
The narrator reports a reflection that certain animals’ point is correct, leading to an ethical resolve about compassion in the forest. It also situates the episode in time: the group has already spent one year and eight months living in Dvaitavana.