Valmiki Ramayana 2.62.4: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 62, Shloka 4
अयोध्याकाण्डे द्विषष्टितमः सर्गः
Kausalyā consoles Daśaratha; grief, remorse, and nightfall
तस्य चिन्तयमानस्य प्रत्याभात्कर्म दुष्कृतम्।यदनेन कृतं पूर्वमज्ञानाच्छब्दवेधिना।।।।
tasya cintayamānasya pratyābhāt karma duṣkṛtam | yad anena kṛtaṃ pūrvam ajñānāc chabdavedhinā ||
તે ચિંતન કરતાં કરતાં તેને પોતાનું એક પાપકર્મ સ્મરણમાં ઝલક્યું—અજ્ઞાનવશ શબ્દને લક્ષ્ય કરીને કરેલું પૂર્વકૃત કૃત્ય.
This is the fifth night of Rama's exile, but it is like five years to me whose joy has been destroyed by sorrow.
FAQs
Even unintended harm (born of ignorance) carries moral consequence; dharma requires accountability and recognition of past wrongdoing.
Daśaratha’s mind returns to his earlier accidental killing (the ‘śabdavedhī’ incident), now resurfacing amid his present grief.
Moral awareness: the capacity to recall and judge one’s own actions truthfully is presented as a serious inner reckoning.
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