Valmiki Ramayana 2.43.17: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 43, Shloka 17
कौशल्याविलापः · Kausalya’s Lament and the Vision of Rama’s Return
निस्संशयं मया मन्ये पुरा वीर कदर्यया ।
पातुकामेषु वत्सेषु मातृ़णां शातितास्स्तनाः ॥१७॥
nissaṃśayaṃ mayā manye purā vīra kadaryayā |
pātukāmeṣu vatseṣu mātṝṇāṃ śātitā stanāḥ ||17||
मुझे पक्का यकीन है। पहले किसी जनम में मैंने बहुत कंजूसी की थी। जब बच्चे दूध पीना चाहते थे, मैंने उनकी माँ का सीना फाड़ दिया था। इसलिए आज यह दुख मिला है।
O valiant one, in my previous birth I must have undoubtedly hacked off the udders of cows when the calves were thirsting for milk from their mothers.
FAQs
Ahiṃsā and compassion are central to dharma; cruelty to vulnerable beings is portrayed as generating painful consequences. The verse teaches moral causality (karma) and the need for empathy.
Kausalya, overwhelmed by separation from Rama, interprets her present anguish through the lens of past wrongdoing and karmic retribution.
Moral introspection and accountability: Kausalya does not merely blame others; she searches her own actions (even across time) for ethical causes.
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