Valmiki Ramayana 2.43.17: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 43, Shloka 17
कौशल्याविलापः · Kausalya’s Lament and the Vision of Rama’s Return
निस्संशयं मया मन्ये पुरा वीर कदर्यया ।
पातुकामेषु वत्सेषु मातृ़णां शातितास्स्तनाः ॥१७॥
nissaṃśayaṃ mayā manye purā vīra kadaryayā |
pātukāmeṣu vatseṣu mātṝṇāṃ śātitā stanāḥ ||17||
โอ้วีรบุรุษ ข้าคิดโดยไม่สงสัยว่าในกาลก่อน ด้วยความตระหนี่อำมหิต ข้าเคยฟันเต้านมของแม่โคทั้งหลาย ขณะลูกโคปรารถนาจะดูดนม; เพราะกรรมนั้นเอง ความทุกข์นี้จึงมาถึงข้า
O valiant one, in my previous birth I must have undoubtedly hacked off the udders of cows when the calves were thirsting for milk from their mothers.
FAQs
Ahiṃsā and compassion are central to dharma; cruelty to vulnerable beings is portrayed as generating painful consequences. The verse teaches moral causality (karma) and the need for empathy.
Kausalya, overwhelmed by separation from Rama, interprets her present anguish through the lens of past wrongdoing and karmic retribution.
Moral introspection and accountability: Kausalya does not merely blame others; she searches her own actions (even across time) for ethical causes.
Ask anything about this verse
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
A free sign-in with Google or Apple keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Valmiki Ramayana in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with word-by-word meanings, Sanskrit recitation where available, and more.