Shloka 58
दुन्दुभिवधप्रसङ्गः
The Dundubhi Episode and the Proof of Rama’s Prowess
दिवसश्चास्य मर्यादा यं द्रष्टा श्वोऽस्मि वानरम्।बहुवर्षसहस्राणि स वै शैलो भविष्यति4.11.58।।
divasaś cāsya maryādā yaṃ draṣṭā śvo ’smi vānaram | bahuvarṣasahasrāṇi sa vai śailo bhaviṣyati || 4.11.58 ||
“Đối với hắn, giới hạn thời gian đã định chỉ là một ngày. Bất cứ loài khỉ nào mà ngày mai ta còn thấy, kẻ ấy ắt sẽ hóa thành núi trong nhiều ngàn năm.”
'I give one day's time for the monkeys (to leave). Whomsoever, I see tomorrow will get transformed into a mountain for many thousands of years'
FAQs
Dharma here is expressed as maryādā—respecting a clearly stated boundary set by a righteous authority. The verse frames consequences as the moral force that protects sacred space and disciplined life.
A sage declares a strict time-limit: any monkey found after the deadline will be cursed to become a mountain for thousands of years. This establishes why certain regions become forbidden to Vali later.
The sage’s steadfastness in truth and discipline—his word (satya-vākya) is firm, and the rule is not arbitrary but a protective boundary (maryādā).