Shloka 10
अङ्गदस्य प्रायोपवेशननिश्चयः
Angada’s Resolve to Fast unto Death
पांशुदण्डेन हि मां बन्धने नोपपादयेत्।शठः क्रूरो नृशंसश्च सुग्रीवो राज्यकारणात्।।।।
pāṃśudaṇḍena hi māṃ bandhanena nopapādayet |
śaṭhaḥ krūro nṛśaṃsaś ca sugrīvo rājyakāraṇāt ||
Vì ngai vàng, Sugrīva—kẻ xảo trá, tàn bạo và nhẫn tâm—ắt chẳng ngần ngại dùng hình phạt kín đáo, giam cầm ta trong lao ngục.
'Sugriva is deceitful, cruel and treacherous. He will inflict secret punishment on me by way of imprisonment for the sake of the kingdom.
FAQs
The verse warns how attachment to power (rājya) can corrupt dharma, leading to unjust or secret punishments; it frames kingship as morally dangerous when driven by self-preservation.
Angada, fearing blame for mission failure, anticipates Sugriva’s reaction and expresses anxiety about punitive consequences.
Not a virtue but a moral tension: Angada’s candor and vulnerability, contrasted with the implied vice of ruthless power-politics.