Shloka 6.40.27
सुवेलारोहणं रावण-सुग्रीव-नियुद्धम् (Ascent of Suvela and the Ravana–Sugriva Duel)
एतस्मिन्नन्तरेरक्षोमायाबलमथात्मनः ।आरब्धुमुपसंपेदेज्ञात्वातंवानराधिपः ।।।।उत्पपाततदाकाशंजितकाशीजितक्लमः ।रावणःस्थितएवात्रहरिराजेववञ्चितः ।।।।
etasminn antare rakṣo māyābalam athātmanaḥ |
ārabdhum upasaṃpede jñātvā taṃ vānarādhipaḥ ||
utpapāta tadā ākāśaṃ jitakāśī jitaklamaḥ |
rāvaṇaḥ sthita evātra harirājeva vañcitaḥ ||
Meanwhile, that rākṣasa resolved to display the power of his own māyā. But the lord of the Vānaras, understanding his intent, leapt up into the sky—wearing the look of victory and unwearied. Rāvaṇa, however, remained there on the spot, as though outwitted by the monkey-king.
In the meantime, Ravana thought of exhibiting his superiority by jugglery and jumped to the sky. Knowing that Sugriva, the untiring Vanara king assumed the air of victor and rose up to the sky. Baffled Ravana stood thinking Sugriva would come there.
Rāvaṇa’s reliance on māyā highlights a strategy rooted in deception, whereas the Vānara king’s alert, steady response implies a dharmic posture: clarity, courage, and readiness without resorting to falsehood.
The verse frames illusion as a tactic meant to distort perception; the Vānara king ‘knowing’ (jñātvā) the intent and responding effectively suggests that discernment aligned with satya—seeing things as they are—undercuts deceptive power.