Sugreeva : The Vanara King

Sugreeva

Introduction

In Ramayana, Sugreeva, also known as Sugriva, is a significant character. He is the king of Kishkindha who meets Lord Rama through Hanuman. In addition to being the exiled ruler of Kishkindha, Sugreeva also acts as a guide in helping Rama save his wife Sita from Ravana‘s clutches. As the king of the vanaras, Sugriva aided Rama in his quest to liberate his wife Sita from captivity at the hands of the rakshasa king Ravana.

Physical Traits

Sugreeva is a vanara, which means he has the body of a human and the face and tail of a monkey. He is depicted as a strong and muscular individual with a beard. His striking resemblance to his brother Vali added to the confusion which prevented Rama from killing Vali during the first battle between the brothers.

Family

Sugreeva was a part of Surya, also known as the Sun God. According to legend, during Brahma’s assembly on Meru Mountain, a divine drop mysteriously fell from his eyes. Brahma threw it on the surface of Meru Mountain. From that teardrop, a monkey appeared. One day the monkey was strolling on Mount Meru and saw a cool, clear pond of water. When he went to drink, he mistook his reflection for another warrior monkey and plunged into the water to kill him.

Upon returning from the water, he realized that he had become a woman. A young woman was seen by the god Indra who grew enamoured by her beauty and ejaculated. This fell on her hair and led to the creation of Vali. The Sun God saw the beauty of the woman and fell in love with her and deposited his semen on her neck. Because of this, Sugreeva was born. The woman and her two sons went to a place where they could rest. Upon waking up, she reverted to her original form as a monkey.

Following the death of the woman, Sugreeva and Baali lived together as brothers. When he died, he married Roma and Vali became the ruler of the monkey kingdom of Vanara whose capital was Kishkindha. ugreeva lived respectfully as a younger brother doing his elder brother’s bidding. Hanuman was the minister to, and the dear friend of, Sugreeva.

Other names

Sugreeva is also referred to as Sugriwa in Javanese, Lao in Thai, Sukhreeb in Khmer, Soogrim in Creole, Sangkip in Laos, Sukkrivan in Tamil and Thugyeik in Burmese.

Powers and Abilities

During his battle with Mayavi, Vali asked Sugreeva to guard a cave and made his promise to come looking only if Vali does not appear for more than a month. After a month, there was no sign of Vali, so with a heavy heart, he assumed that Vali was killed and blocked the cave with a huge boulder. Despite his grief, Sugreeva returned to the kingdom and became the king. However, one day, Bali returned and accused him of betraying him. He then seized his kingdom and took his wife away.

Sugreeva was regarded as a kindhearted monkey. He lived with his friends, namely, Nala, Jambaavant, Neela, and Hanuman on Rishimukh mountain as Vali could not reach the mountain due to a curse. When Lakshmana and Rama reached Rishimukh mountain, they told Sugreeva about their search for Sita. They asked him to help them kill Vali and they would help rescue Sita in return. Sugreeva was asked by Rama to face Bali in a wrestling match, but he was not sure who to aim his bow at. Since they both looked similar, he was told to wear a garland, which represented victory. The fight eventually started, and Vali died after he was shot by Rama. 

Sugreeva assigned Nala and Neela to build a bridge across the ocean, while Shri Ram’s army advanced to Lanka. Sugreeva also pushed him Ravana off his throne and punched him and returned to his camp. The battle between Ravan and Ram started soon after Sugreeva led his army and killed several individuals, including Kumbhakarna‘s son, Virupaksh, and Mahodar. He proved to be a loyal ally of Ram and helped him defeat his enemies.

Modern Day Influence

People still use Sugreeva’s character in the Ramayana for in depth character analysis and also for discussing the rationale behind Lord Ram siding with Sugriva in the battle of the brothers. Upon awakening, Baali confronted Ram, questioning, “Why did you support my brother and kill me, despite my never causing you any harm?” Ram replied, “Sugreeva is your younger brother, and your dispute lies with him. His wife should have been respected as your own daughter. Yet, driven by animosity, you abducted her, treating her as your wife. It is for this heinous act and my friendship with Sugreeva that I had to take your life.” This is inspite Sugreeva taking Vali’s wife as his own when Vali was assumed dead.