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 A trusted deputy is one who can keep his calm when your mind is taken by storm. One who can be a mountain of support when it is badly needed. Who can guide the disturbed and doubtful mind in the right direction. Whose wise counsel can make you see things in perspective. Who aids decision-making. A leader can have turbulent times too. He can be dogged and haunted by the ghosts of the past, too.
This was one such moment for Sugriva. He was not sure. It is not surprising if you keep the kind of contumely that he had gone through. The insolent might that hunted for him to whichever corner of the world he ran for shelter. It was against his wish that he became the ruler of Kishkindha. He was a devoted younger brother. He admired and indeed worshipped Vali, his elder brother. It all happened when Mayavi challenged Vali for a single combat. They were engaged in a duel deep within a cave for months together without a moment of respite or reprieve. Sugriva was standing guard at the mouth of the cave, as ordered by Vali. Their war cries shook the entire region. More than a year slipped away. Blood started flowing out of the cave. Sugriva was agitated and came to the conclusion that his brother must have been killed. Sugriva acts on impulse in many a place in the epic. He was overcome by grief at the thought of the death of his brother. He did not verify. In his own words:
…concluding him to have been killed (by the demon), I for my part was overcome by a feeling of misgiving through affection. Then, on seeing after a long time blood mixed with foam emerged from the aforesaid hole, I felt extremely distressed because of that. The yell of thundering demons too reached my ears, while the noise of my elder brother, even though he was roaring while engaged in the encounter, did not fall on my ears. By recourse to reason on the strength of the aforesaid indications, I for my part concluded my (elder) brother to have been killed. -- Srimad Valmiki Ramayana (Kishkindha Kanda, Canto IX).
 He then rolled a boulder and sealed its entrance. On his return he was enthroned much against his will. When Vali returned after killing Mayavi, he was enraged. He mistook Sugriva and his intentions in sealing the mouth of the hole when he was fighting. The travails of Sugriva started then. The amount of suffering he had undergone and the knowledge of Vali’s strength made him think. Naturally. In case Rama did not succeed in his attempt, he would remain to face the wrath of Vali.
He needed counselling. He needed the strength of his deputy. He needed to be guided. He wanted to have a trusted deputy to lean on. He looked for reason and supporting evidence to join hands with Sri Rama, to kill Vali, which alone can put an end to his troubles.
(To be continued)
Hari Krishnan
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