Ramayana 4.85

Ramayana · translated by Ralph T.H. Griffith

The Vanar sovereign, lofty-souled, In plaintive voice his sorrows told. Then Rama spake: "Sugriva, list, All anger from thy heart dismissed, And I will tell the cause that stayed Mine arrow, and withheld the aid. In dress, adornment, port, and height, In splendour, battle-shout, and might, No shade of difference could I see Between thy foe, O King, and thee. So like was each, I stood at gaze, My senses lost in wildering maze, Nor loosened from my straining bow A deadly arrow at the foe, Lest in my doubt the shaft should send To sudden death our surest friend. O, if this hand in heedless guilt And rash resolve thy blood had spilt, Through every land, O Vanar King, My wild and foolish act would ring. Sore weight of sin on him must lie By whom a friend is made to die; And Lakshman, I, and Sita, best Of dames, on thy protection rest. On, warrior! for the fight prepare; Nor fear again thy foe to dare. Within one hour thine eye shall view My arrow strike thy foeman through; Shall see the stricken Bali lie Low on the earth, and gasp and die. But come, a badge about thee bind, O monarch of the Vanar kind, That in the battle shock mine eyes The friend and foe may recognize. Come, Lakshman, let that creeper deck With brightest bloom Sugriva's neck, And be a happy token, twined Around the chief of lofty mind."

Ramayana 4.85 · Ramayana · 4

Themes in this passage

Death Friendship Leadership War Truth Anger Doubt Fear

Death in other traditions

The same theme, as Christianity, Islam, Taoism and Hellenism address it.

And the children of Israel spake unto Moses, saying, Behold, we die, we perish, we all perish.

Numbers 17:12 · Bible · Numbers

Lo! thou wilt die, and lo! they will die;

Quran 39:30 · Quran · The Companies

The people do not fear death; to what purpose is it to (try to) frighten them with death? If the people were always in awe of death, and I could always seize those who do wrong, and put them to death, who would dare to do wrong?

Tao Te Ching 74.1 · Tao Te Ching

These words, attended with a shower of tears, The youth address’d to unrelenting ears: “Talk not of life, or ransom (he replies): Patroclus dead, whoever meets me, dies: In vain a single Trojan sues for grace; But least, the sons of Priam’s hateful race. Die then, my friend! what boots it to deplore? The great, the good Patroclus is no more! He, far thy better, was foredoom’d to die, And thou, dost thou bewail mortality? Seest thou not me, whom nature’s gifts adorn, Sprung from a hero, from a goddess born? The day shall come (which nothing can avert) When by the spear, the arrow, or the dart, By night, or day, by force, or by design, Impending death and certain fate are mine! Die then,”—He said; and as the word he spoke, The fainting stripling sank before the stroke: His hand forgot its grasp, and left the spear, While all his trembling frame confess’d his fear: Sudden, Achilles his broad sword display’d, And buried in his neck the reeking blade. Prone fell the youth; and panting on the land, The gushing purple dyed the thirsty sand. The victor to the stream the carcase gave, And thus insults him, floating on the wave:

Iliad 21.7 · Iliad · 21

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