Ramayana — Yuddha Kanda, Sarga 20, Shloka 1
दूत-नीति, शुक-प्रसङ्गः
Envoy-Ethics and the Episode of Śuka
ततोनिविष्टांध्वजिनींसुग्रीवेणाभिपालिताम् ।ददर्शराक्षसोऽभ्येत्यशार्दूलोनामवीर्यवान् ।।।।
tato niviṣṭāṃ dhvajinīṃ sugrīveṇābhipālitām | dadarśa rākṣaso ’bhyetya śārdūlo nāma vīryavān ||
Bấy giờ, La-sát dũng mãnh tên là Śārdūla tiến đến và trông thấy đại quân đang đóng trại, dưới sự chỉ huy của Sugrīva, cờ xí tiêu kỳ rợp trời.
Then the heroic Rakshasa called Shardula entered into the area encamped by the army under Sugriva's command and saw the sign flag of the army.
FAQs
The verse sets the stage for ethical conflict: surveillance and diplomacy precede war; dharma in governance includes assessing realities before action.
A rākṣasa agent, Śārdūla, approaches and observes Sugrīva’s encamped forces, initiating the episode of messages and counter-actions.
Organized leadership and preparedness—Sugrīva’s army is presented as disciplined and clearly commanded.