Ramayana — Yuddha Kanda, Sarga 108, Shloka 9
रावणरथवैभव–निमित्तदर्शन–राममातलिसंवादः
Ravana’s Chariot, Portents, and Rama–Matali Instructions
मातलेपश्यसम्रद्धमापतन्तंरथंरिपोः ।।।।यथापसव्यंपततावेगेनमहतापुनः ।समरेहन्तुमात्मानंतथानेनकृतामतिः ।।।।
mātale paśya samrabdham āpatantaṃ rathaṃ ripoḥ | yathāpasavyaṃ patatā vegena mahatā punaḥ | samare hantum ātmānaṃ tathānena kṛtā matiḥ ||
“Wahai Mātali, lihatlah kereta musuh itu—dalam amarah dan gegabah ia menerjang, lalu berbalik lagi menempuh arah yang berlawanan dengan kecepatan besar. Tampaknya tekadnya telah tertuju untuk membinasakan dirinya sendiri di medan laga ini.”
The flow of arrows (from Ravana) released from the chariot were seen by Rama like the flow of water from rain clouds. Seeing that, Sri Rama made terrific sounds by stretching his bow to crescent shape, and it was as if a mountain struck by thunderbolt had broken and resounding and seeing Matali, charioteer of Indra, Sri Rama spoke as follows.
FAQs
Righteous action includes clear perception and truthful assessment: Rāma interprets the enemy’s inauspicious movement as self-destructive adharma leading to ruin.
Rāma notices Rāvaṇa’s chariot maneuvering oddly and comments to Mātali, reading it as a sign of impending downfall.
Prudence and truthfulness—Rāma speaks plainly and judges the battlefield signs without delusion.