Shloka 28
सावित्री-यमसंवादः
Sāvitrī’s Dialogue with Yama and the Restoration of Satyavān
“अरे! तू तो पहले अनेक बार युद्धमें मेरेद्वारा परास्त हो चुका है और जीवनका अधिक लोभ होनेके कारण भागकर जान बचाता फिरा है। मैंने भी अपना भाई समझकर तुझे जीवित छोड़ दिया है। फिर आज तुझे मरनेके लिये इतनी उतावली क्यों हो गयी है?” ।। इत्युक्त: प्राह सुग्रीवो भ्रातरं हेतुमद् वच: । प्राप्तकालममित्रघ्नो रामं सम्बोधयन्निव
are! tvaṁ tu pūrvaṁ aneka-vāraṁ yuddhe mayā parājitaḥ, jīvitasya adhika-lobhena ca palāyitvā prāṇān rakṣitavān. aham api tvāṁ bhrātṛ-bhāvena jīvitam atyākṣam. tarhi adya tava maraṇāya itarāṁ utkaṇṭhā kutaḥ jāyate? ity uktaḥ prāha sugrīvo bhrātaraṁ hetumad vacaḥ; prāpta-kālam amitra-ghno rāmaṁ sambodhayann iva.
「おい！ 以前にも幾度となく戦でお前は私に敗れ、命欲しさに逃げ回って身を守った。私もまた、お前を兄弟と思って命を助けてやったのだ。なのに今日は、なぜそれほど死に急ぐ？」 そう言われると、スグリーヴァは理にかなった言葉で兄に答えた——まるで決定の時に、敵を討つラーマを奮い立たせる者のように。
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage contrasts two ethical impulses in conflict: the pride of victory that humiliates an opponent, and the claim of mercy grounded in kinship (“I spared you as a brother”). It highlights how attachment to life can drive retreat, while sudden eagerness for death is portrayed as reckless—implying that courage should be guided by reason and right timing, not by wounded pride or provocation.
Mārkaṇḍeya narrates a confrontation in which one combatant taunts the other: “I have defeated you many times; you fled to save your life; I spared you.” After this provocation, Sugrīva responds to his brother with reasoned words, and the narration suggests a decisive moment where Rāma—described as the enemy-slayer—is being invoked or stirred into action.