Adhyaya 50

During Rāma’s Aśvamedha, Śatrughna learns that the sacrificial horse has been seized and that his men have been insulted. Though anger flares, wise counsel stresses dūta-nīti: a messenger can accomplish what force cannot. Śatrughna therefore sends Aṅgada/Hariśvara as envoy to the nearby city of Kuṇḍala, ruled by the dharmic kṣatriya Suratha, renowned for devotion to Rāma’s feet. In Suratha’s court the envoy declares his identity, and the dispute sharpens into warnings of catastrophic war if the horse is not returned. Aṅgada rebukes Suratha’s confidence, recounts Śatrughna’s exploits and the vānaras’ loyalty, and presses for submission and restoration of the mount. The chapter concludes by upholding righteous surrender to Rāma as the highest settlement, and by moving the matter forward through the delivery of the message back to Śatrughna.