Sugriva

deity earth Hindu single tradition · 4

Sugriva is described as a son of the sun-god Surya. He is instructed by Vali to close the door of the cave if blood flows out from the cave, implying that Vali has been killed, but if milk flows out, it indicates that Mayavi is dead. After Vali returns, rejecting Sugriva's explanation, he exiles Sugriva and not only re-acquires Tara but also seizes Ruma, Sugriva's wife, in retaliation.

↻ synthesized from 4 sources

When

First attested
500 BCE
Attested period
-500 – 2020
Historical notes
Ramayana dates to 4th century BCE.

Relationships

consort of
Taras, Ruma
enemy of
Ravana, Vali
allied with
Hanuman, Narayana, Padma, Sita
sibling of
Vali
child of
Sūrya, Aruṇa
served by
Hanuman

Expand to full subgraph →

Sources

Source passages

“Tara says that Sugriva is mindful that through Rama, Sugriva has gained the kingship, Ruma and herself. She defends Sugriva saying that even great sage Vishwamitra was tempted by pleasure, Sugriva—a mere forest-dwelling monkey—is fatigued by his past hardships and is relaxing, but not partaking in carnal pleasures.”

#8076 · extracted by google/gemini-2.0-flash-001

“Sugriva, king of Kishkindha, son of Surya”

#8773 · extracted by google/gemini-2.0-flash-001

“The next day, at Surya's request, Aruna again assumed female form, and Surya fathered a son named Sugriva. Both children were given to Ahalya for rearing, but her husband, the sage Gautama cursed them, causing them to turn into monkeys”

#16465 · extracted by google/gemini-2.0-flash-001

“Sugriva was appointed by his brother Vali to become the king before Vali renounces the world and becomes a Jain monk.”

#28908 · extracted by anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.5