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 ॥४॥
tasya cintayamānasya pratyābhāt karma duṣkṛtam |
yad anena kṛtaṃ pūrvam ajñānāc chabdavedhinā ||4||
Ketika baginda merenung, terlintas kembali suatu perbuatan dosa—yang pernah baginda lakukan dahulu dalam kejahilan, memanah hanya berpandukan bunyi semata-mata.
While he was thus reflecting on a sinful act he had inadvertently comitted long ago, the act of discharging an arrow that could hit its target following the sound, flashed in his mind.
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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