Shloka 4.24.8
वालिवधोत्तरशोकः — Sugriva’s Remorse and Tara’s Lament after Vali’s Death
न त्वां जिघांसामि चरेति यन्मामयं महात्मा मतिमानुवाच।तस्यैव तद्राम वचोऽनुरूपमिदं पुनः कर्म च मेऽनुरूपम्।।
na tvāṃ jighāṃsāmi careti yan mām ayaṃ mahātmā matimān uvāca |
tasyaiva tad rāma vaco 'nurūpam idaṃ punaḥ karma ca me 'nurūpam ||
When the wise, great-souled Vāli said to me, “I will not kill you—go away,” his words, O Rāma, were fitting to his noble nature. But this deed of mine, again, is fitting only to my own (lesser) nature.
'O Rama! when the wise, high-souled Vali said to me, 'I do not like to kill you in this place; be gone from here', his words reflected his nobility. This action of mine (killing of Vali) is, on the other hand, in consonance with my nature.
Dharma involves honest self-knowledge: recognizing nobility in others and acknowledging one’s own moral shortcomings is the first step toward ethical correction.
Sugrīva recalls an earlier moment when Vāli spared him, contrasting Vāli’s restraint with the violent outcome that followed.
Satya as moral candor: Sugrīva speaks truthfully about character and conduct, even when it reflects poorly on himself.