Shloka 2.63.55

दशरथस्य शोकानुचिन्तनं शब्धवेधि-दोषस्मरणं च (Daśaratha’s grief, karmic reflection, and the remembered ‘śabdavedhī’ misdeed)

Devanagari script

प्रतिबुद्धो मुहूर्तेन शोकोपहतचेतनः।अथ राजा दशरथस्सचिन्तामभ्यपद्यत।।2.63.1।।

Transliteration

jalārdragātraṃ tu vilapya kṛcchrān marmavraṇaṃ santatam ucchvasantam | tataḥ sarayvāṃ tam ahaṃ śayānaṃ samīkṣya bhadre ’smi bhṛśaṃ viṣaṇṇaḥ ||

Translation

O gentle one, seeing him lying on the bank of the Sarayū—his body drenched, lamenting in pain, and his vital wound drawing forth ceaseless gasps—I became profoundly despondent.

Context

O gentle Kausalya! having seen him crying due to the pain caused by the wound in the vital part, sighing ceaselessly, drenched in water and lying on the bank of river Sarayu, I was greatly shaken.ityārṣē śrīmadrāmāyaṇē vālmīkīya ādikāvyē ayōdhyākāṇḍē triṣaṣṭitama ssargaḥ৷৷Thus ends the sixtythird sarga in Ayodhyakanda of the holy Ramayana, the first epic composed by sage Valmiki.

Characters & Entities

• Kauśalyā
• Sarayū

FAQs

What is the core ethical principle (Dharma) in this verse?

Dharma includes moral sensitivity: recognizing suffering and feeling remorse is part of ethical awakening, not merely legal innocence.

What is the narrative situation?

Daśaratha describes the dying youth on the bank of the Sarayū and his own overwhelming grief upon seeing him.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Hṛdaya-saṃvedanā (deep empathy): the king is shaken by the visible consequences of his act.