Shloka 18
मैत्रीप्रतिज्ञा-वैरकारणप्रश्नः
Friendship Vow and Inquiry into the Cause of Enmity
सोऽहं त्रस्तो भये मग्नो वसाम्युद्भ्रान्तचेतनः।वालिना निकृतो भ्रात्रा कृतवैरश्च राघव।।
so ’haṃ trasto bhaye magno vasāmy udbhrānta-cetanaḥ | vālinā nikṛto bhrātrā kṛta-vairaś ca rāghava ||
«Así vivo, temblando, hundido en el miedo, con la mente turbada. Engañado por mi hermano Vālin, me he convertido en su enemigo declarado, oh Rāghava.»
'O Rama! my brother is my enemy. Deceived and threatened by him, I live in the forest stricken with fear and utterly confused.
FAQs
The duty to protect the oppressed: Sugrīva’s fear highlights the dharmic need for a righteous protector to restrain unjust power.
Sugrīva names Vālin directly and clarifies the hostile relationship created by deception, explaining his ongoing terror.
Moral clarity: Sugrīva identifies wrongdoing and its consequences rather than disguising the conflict.