यथान्यः पुरुषः कश्चित्पलाशैर्मोहितो भवेत्।
एवं ममाप्यविज्ञातं शब्दवेध्यमयं फलम्॥
yathānyaḥ puruṣaḥ kaścit palāśair mohito bhavet
evaṁ mamāpy avijñātaṁ śabda-vedhyam ayam phalam
yathā = just as; anyaḥ = other; puruṣaḥ = common man; kaścit = any; palāśaiḥ = by kiṁśuka flowers; mohitaḥ = bewildered; bhavet = may become; evam mama api = I; avijñātam = did not know that; śabda-vedhyam = the skill of a śabda-vedhī archer will lead; ayam = to this; phalam = result.
Just as any other common man may become bewildered by kiṁśuka flowers, I did not know that the skill of a śabda-vedhī archer will lead to this result.
1 An important lesson to be derived from Daśaratha’s narration of his former sinful act concerns the various levels of causes and effects in existence. At the lowest level is grossly material causation. This is ordinary physical causation. When I lift a heavy weight, I feel tired. Then there is subtle material causation. When I perform a sinful activity, I am subjected to pain (generally) in the next lifetime(s) by the demigod representatives of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. When I perform a pious activity, I am rewarded by them (generally) in the next lifetime(s). Finally, there is spiritual causation. When I turn away from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Māyā deludes me. When I turn toward Him with uninterrupted and nonduplicitous submission, Māyā abandons me. Or, there are six activities and attitudes that promote me in bhakti and six activities and attitudes that demote me in bhakti. These three levels of causes and effects are to be considered by the discriminating in their journey towards pure love of Godhead. Here we notice Daśaratha searching for the cause of his misery beyond the obvious gross material cause that was his attraction to Kaikeyī. And he remembered that he had committed a sinful act in the past. Sage Vālmīki thus teaches us to look beyond the obvious gross material causes of our material happiness and unhappiness. At the very least, we should consider the subtle material causes of our happiness and unhappiness. There is no point in cursing a wall when you throw a basketball at it and the ball bounces back, hitting your head. Similarly, there is no point in becoming overworked about the obvious and gross material causes of our happiness and unhappiness. Regarding the spiritual causes of our happiness and unhappiness, one should understand them by submissively hearing from a bona fide representative of perfectly realized souls in an authentic line of disciplic succession from the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is exemplified in Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī’s surrender unto Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu in Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā, Chapter 20.
He now summarizes his idea here. “Just as any other common man may become bewildered by kiṁśuka flowers” means “Just as any other common man may think that the tree will produce fruits similar to its flowers.” Similarly, Daśaratha did not know that the arrow used by him as a śabda-vedhī archer would lead to the result [he is currently experiencing]. He had considered the reputation of being a śabda-vedhī archer but he had not considered the future disaster that he might have to face.1
When did he employ this skill of a śabda-vedhī archer in this manner? Anticipating that Kausalyā-devī would ask this question, Daśaratha states the next verse.