Shloka 4.16.39

वालिवधः — The Slaying of Vali

Devanagari script

इन्द्रध्वज इवोद्धूतः पौर्णमास्यां महीतले।

आश्वयुक्समये मासि गतश्रीको विचेतनः॥ 4.16.37॥

Transliteration

indradhvaja ivoddhūtaḥ paurṇamāsyāṃ mahītale |

āśvayuksamaye māsi gataśrīko vicetanaḥ || 4.16.37 ||

Translation

Lustreless and unconscious, he lay upon the ground—like Indra’s festival banner cast down on the full-moon day in the month of Āśvayuja.

Context

While Indra's son (Vali) fell unconscious on the ground, drenched in blood flowing, like a fully bloomed Asoka tree shaken down by the wind, he looked like Indra's flag fallen.ityārṣē śrīmadrāmāyaṇē vālmīkīya ādikāvyē kiṣkindhākāṇḍē ṣōḍaśassargaḥ৷৷Thus ends the sixteenth sarga of Kishkindakanda of the Holy Ramayana, the first epic composed by sage Valmiki.

Characters & Entities

• Vāli
• Indradhvaja (Indra’s banner)
• Āśvayuja (month)
• Full-moon day (paurṇamāsī)

FAQs

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

The verse teaches impermanence: worldly glory (śrī) can fall suddenly; dharma, not power or status, is the stable measure of worth.

What is the narrative situation?

Vāli lies unconscious after being struck, described through a ritual-cultural simile of a fallen Indra-banner.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

The implied virtue is humility before time and moral law; even kings and heroes are subject to decline.