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 ||
सोऽहं त्रस्तो भये मग्नो वसाम्युद्भ्रान्तचेतनः। वालिना निकृतो भ्रात्रा कृतवैरश्च राघव॥
'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.