Lanka Kaanda
169 - Angada's departure for Lanka and dialogue between Angada and Ravana in the latter's court
Dohas
Description
"It seems true that the monkey set fire to your capital without receiving an order from his master. That is why he did not go back to Sugriva and remained in hiding for fear. All that you say, Ravana, is true and I am not in the least angry at hearing it. There is none in our army who would fight you with any amount of grace. Make friends or enter into hostilities only with your equals: this is a sound maxim to follow. If a lion were to kill frogs, will anyone speak well of him? Though it would be derogatory on the part of Sri Rama to kill you and He will incur great blame thereby, yet, mark me, Ravana, the fury of the Ksatriya race is hard to face." The monkey (Angada) burnt the enemy's heart with shafts of speech shot forth from the bow of sarcasm; and the ten-headed hero proceeded to extract the arrows, so to speak, with pairs of pincers in the form of rejoinders. He laughed and said: "A monkey possesses one great virtue: it does everything in its power to serve him who maintains it."