Valmiki Ramayana 2.63.46: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 63, Shloka 46
दशरथस्य शोकानुचिन्तनं शब्धवेधि-दोषस्मरणं च
Daśaratha’s grief, karmic reflection, and the remembered ‘śabdavedhī’ misdeed
Spoken by Shravana to King DaśarathaSetting: Forest near Śravaṇa’s father’s hermitagePlaces named: father (pitṛ), vana (forest)Approach to the hermitage (imminent)
पितुस्त्वमेव मे गत्वा शीघ्रमाचक्ष्य राघव ।
न त्वामनुदहेत्क्रुद्धो वनं वह्निरिवैधितः ॥४६॥
pitus tvam eva me gatvā śīghram ācakṣya rāghava |
na tvām anudahet kruddho vanaṃ vahnir ivāidhitaḥ ||46||
โอ้ราฆวะ จงไปด้วยตนเองโดยเร็วแล้วกราบทูลบิดาของข้าเถิด เกรงว่าเมื่อท่านกริ้ว จะเผาผลาญท่านดุจไฟอันลุกโชนที่กลืนกินพงไพร
Sandhi Notes
- पितुस्त्वम् = pituḥ + tvam
- शीघ्रमाचक्ष्य = śīghram + ācakṣya
- त्वामनुदहेत् = tvām + anudahet
- वह्निरिवैधितः = vahniḥ + iva + edhitaḥ
O scion of the Raghus (Dasaratha)! Go at once and inform my father, lest in anger heshould burn you like ignited fire consuming the forest.
The teaching
When harm is done, delay worsens consequences; humility and prompt truth-telling are dharma.
Duties in tension
- Truthful confession and seeking forgiveness vs fear of punishment/curse
- Royal pride vs humility before tapas
- Ethical theme
- Prāyaścitta/repentance and accountability
- How it resolves
- Immediate action advised: go personally and confess
For your practice
Practice of satya (truth) and kṣamā-yācñā (seeking forgiveness); contemplation on anger as inner fire.
Mood and themes
- Rasa
- Bhayanaka (fear), with Karuna (compassion)
- Mood
- Urgent, threatening, foreboding
Themes
- Dharma
- Satya
- Ethics
- Accountability
- Anger and curse
- Royal responsibility
Krodha as a consuming fire mirrors inner vāsanā that burns merit; restraint and truth-telling are the antidotes.
Fire imagery recalls the Upaniṣadic agni as both purifier and destroyer; uncontrolled ‘inner fire’ (krodhāgni) leads to ruin.
- Shravana and Dasharatha
- Warning from victim to perpetrator; moral urgency (urgent-admonishing)
Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.63: Daśaratha’s confession to the blind parents and the ensuing curse (immediate continuation)
Smṛti trope: tapasvin’s wrath likened to fire; ‘krodho hi śatrur’ theme (general dharma literature)
Ayodhyākāṇḍa: Daśaratha’s later death in grief, linked to this śāpa (causal chain)
Anuṣṭup (śloka)
Commanding
Tāra-madhyama with sharp nyāsa (urgent cadence)
FAQs
Dharma demands truthful disclosure and seeking atonement; hiding wrongdoing invites greater harm and just retribution.
Śravaṇa urges Daśaratha to immediately inform his father, anticipating the father’s fiery grief and possible curse.
Moral urgency: even in death, Śravaṇa pushes the king toward confession and responsibility.
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