Valmiki Ramayana 2.63.24: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 63, Shloka 24
दशरथस्य शोकानुचिन्तनं शब्धवेधि-दोषस्मरणं च
Daśaratha’s grief, karmic reflection, and the remembered ‘śabdavedhī’ misdeed
अथान्धकारे त्वश्रौषं जले कुम्भस्य पूर्यतः ।
अचक्षुर्विषये घोषं वारणस्येव नर्दतः ॥२४॥
athāndhakāre tv aśrauṣaṃ jale kumbhasya pūryataḥ |
acakṣur-viṣaye ghoṣaṃ vāraṇasyeva nardataḥ ||24||
Kemudian, dalam kegelapan, dari tempat yang tidak dapat kulihat, aku mendengar bunyi tempayan diisi air—seperti deruman gajah.
Then at a place that was out of the range of my sight in darkness I heard the sound of a pitcher being filled with water which resembled the sound of an elephant.
FAQs
Dharma warns against action based on uncertainty: when perception is unclear (darkness, unseen source), restraint is safer than rashness.
Daśaratha recalls a night by a river when he heard a sound resembling an elephant and misread the situation.
Reflective honesty—Daśaratha narrates the precise sensory mistake that led to later wrongdoing.
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