Shloka 2.63.18
दशरथस्य शोकानुचिन्तनं शब्धवेधि-दोषस्मरणं च (Daśaratha’s grief, karmic reflection, and the remembered ‘śabdavedhī’ misdeed)
पतितेनाम्भसाच्छन्नः पतमानेन चासकृत्।आबभौ मत्तसारङ्गस्तोयराशिरिवाचलः।।2.63.18।।
klinna-pakṣottarāḥ snātāḥ kṛcchrād iva patatriṇaḥ | vṛṣṭi-vātāvadhūtāgrān pādapān abhipedire || 2.63.17 ||
Birds, their wings and upper plumage drenched as if bathed, reached—almost with difficulty—the trees whose tops were shaken by rain and wind.
Engulfed by torrents of rain that continued to fall ceaselessly, the mountain visited by intoxicated antelopes looked like a mass of water.
Dharma includes care for the vulnerable: the image of creatures seeking shelter invites restraint and empathy, virtues especially relevant to those who wield power.
Heavy rain and gusts disrupt the forest; birds struggle to reach stable shelter in trees.
Sensitivity and restraint—qualities that should temper a hunter’s impulse, foreshadowing the moral weight of Daśaratha’s later mistake.