Ramayana — 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।।2.63.24।।
athāndhakāre tv aśrauṣaṃ jale kumbhasya pūryataḥ |
acakṣur-viṣaye ghoṣaṃ vāraṇasyeva nardataḥ || 2.63.24 ||
ਫਿਰ ਹਨੇਰੇ ਵਿੱਚ, ਮੇਰੀ ਨਜ਼ਰ ਤੋਂ ਪਰੇ ਕਿਸੇ ਥਾਂ ਤੋਂ, ਪਾਣੀ ਵਿੱਚ ਘੜਾ ਭਰਦੇ ਹੋਏ ਦੀ ਧੁਨ ਮੈਂ ਸੁਣੀ—ਜਿਵੇਂ ਹਾਥੀ ਦੀ ਚਿੰਗਾੜ ਹੋਵੇ।
Wishing to kill the elephant, I seized my arrow glowing like a venomous snake and aimed it towards the sound.
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.