Shloka 3
शार्दूलचरवृत्तान्तः
Saardula’s Spy-Report on Rama’s Camp and the Vanara Host
अयथावच्चतेवर्णोदीनश्चासिनिशाचर ।नासिकच्चिदमित्राणांक्रुद्धानांवशमागतः ।।6.30.3।।
ayathāvac ca te varṇo dīnaś cāsi niśācara |
nāsi kaccid amitrāṇāṁ kruddhānāṁ vaśam āgataḥ ||6.30.3||
โอ้ผู้ท่องราตรี สีหน้าของเจ้ามิเป็นดังควร และเจ้าดูทุกข์ร้อนนัก บอกมาเถิด—เจ้าตกอยู่ใต้อำนาจศัตรูผู้กริ้วโกรธหรือไม่
"O Forest ranger! Your face is not as it should be and also pitiable. Hope the angry enemies have not done anything to you."
FAQs
A ruler’s dharma includes vigilance and responsibility for intelligence-gathering; Ravana notices his agent’s distress and probes whether the messenger has been compromised by enemies.
In the war-camp context, Ravana questions Śārdūla, who has returned shaken, asking whether hostile forces have captured or coerced him.
Alertness and political prudence (rāja-nīti): reading signs (a messenger’s demeanor) and verifying the reliability of information.