Shloka 17
Sāvitrī-Upākhyāna: Dyumatsena’s Restoration and the Return to Kāmyaka
Conclusion
राजेन्द्र! वह सब कुछ पूरा-पूरा सुनकर नम्रतापूर्वक हाथ जोड़े हुए भार्या तथा सेवकोंसहित वानरराज सुग्रीवने नरश्रेष्ठ लक्ष्मणसे सहर्ष निवेदन किया-- ।। नास्मि लक्ष्मण दुर्मेधा नाकृतज्ञो न निर्घण: । श्रूयतां यः प्रयत्नो मे सीतापर्येषणे कृत:,“लक्ष्मण! मैं न तो दुर्बुद्धि हूँ, न अकृतज्ञ हूँ और न निर्दय ही हूँ। मैंने सीताकी खोजके लिये जो प्रयत्न किया है, उसे सुनिये
rājendra! tat sarvaṁ samyak śrutvā namratayā añjaliṁ kṛtvā bhāryā-sevakaiḥ saha vānara-rājaḥ sugrīvo nara-śreṣṭhaṁ lakṣmaṇaṁ harṣa-yuktaḥ pratyuvāca— na asmi lakṣmaṇa durmedhā na akṛtajño na nirghṛṇaḥ | śrūyatāṁ yaḥ prayatno me sītā-paryeṣaṇe kṛtaḥ ||
O king! Having heard everything in full, Sugrīva—the lord of the monkeys—stood with joined palms in humility, accompanied by his wife and attendants, and joyfully addressed Lakṣmaṇa, the best of men: “Lakṣmaṇa, I am neither foolish, nor ungrateful, nor cruel. Hear now what efforts I have undertaken in the search for Sītā.” The verse frames Sugrīva’s moral self-accounting: he seeks to clear himself of blame and to affirm gratitude and compassion as the ethical basis for his alliance and action.
मार्कण्डेय उवाच