Shloka 39
वालिवधः
The Slaying of Vali
अथोक्षितश्शोणिततोयविस्रवै-
स्सुपुष्पिताशोक इवानिलोद्धतः।
विचेतनो वासवसूनुराहवे
विभ्रंशितेन्द्रध्वजवत्क्षितिं गतः॥ 4.16.39॥
athokṣitaś śoṇitatoyavisravaiḥ
supuṣpitāśoka ivāniloddhataḥ |
vicetano vāsavasūnur āhave
vibhraṃśitendradhvajavat kṣitiṃ gataḥ || 4.16.39 ||
Então o filho de Vāsava, encharcado por correntes de sangue que escorriam como água, caiu inconsciente no combate; como um aśoka em plena flor sacudido pelo vento, como o estandarte de Indra tombado ao chão.
'You need not be concerned about me on account of Rama. How can one who knows dharma and who has a sense of gratitude commit sin?
FAQs
The verse underscores the moral and existential truth that embodied power is fragile; dharma urges right conduct before the fall that time inevitably brings.
Vāli collapses unconscious, bleeding, and the poet uses layered similes (aśoka tree, fallen Indra-banner) to depict his downfall.
The emphasis is less on a virtue and more on a lesson: splendor and force do not protect one from consequence; ethical order ultimately prevails.