Shloka 20
किष्किन्धायां सुग्रीवस्य नादः
Sugriva’s War-Cry at Kishkindha
तस्य शब्देन वित्रस्ता गावो यान्ति हतप्रभाः।राजदोषपरामृष्टाः कुलस्त्रिय इवाकुलाः4.14.20।।
tasya śabdena vitrastā gāvo yānti hataprabhāḥ |
rājadoṣaparāmṛṣṭāḥ kulastriya ivākulāḥ || 4.14.20 ||
Sa kanyang ugong, nanginig sa takot ang mga baka at nagsitakas, nawala ang kanilang payapang ningning—gaya ng mararangal na babae na nalilito kapag pumalya ang kapangyarihan ng hari at sumayad ang kaguluhan sa kaharian.
Sugriva, surrounded by his companions, raised his voice as if piercing the sky, roaring like a huge thundering cloud, challenging Vali to a duel.
FAQs
It gestures to rājadharma: when the ruler’s protective duty falters, the vulnerable are shaken and social order is disturbed—protection is a central moral obligation of kingship.
Sugriva’s roar is so intense that animals panic; the poet uses a social simile to illustrate the magnitude of upheaval.
Indirectly, the verse emphasizes the king’s duty of protection (a virtue of governance), by showing the chaos that follows its failure.