Hari Om.
Let us begin the sixteenth sarga of the kishkindhA kAnDam by offering our prostrations at the lotus feet of SrIrAma and our sathguru.
The thunderous roar of sugrIva stung the vanity of vAlI. He was incensed that sugrIva who was thrashed just recently had the temerity to challenge him again. Without waiting a moment, he was rushing out from his inner chambers when his wife tAra stopped him. She affectionately addressed vAlI and advised a guarded response. She asked him to take his time and respond without rush. The astute tArA substantiated her suggestion by revealing the intelligence that angada had gathered about the friendship between sugrIva and the mighty ikshvAku duo. She reasoned that sugrIva being his own brother needs to be treated with affection and respect. He has an excellent judgment in finding able allies and hence should not be taken lightly. The fact that he returned so quickly after the blows was indeed suggested a strong backing. Thus she tried to drill sense into an incensed vAlI in various different ways. But he thought differently. Onwards…
Responding to the enchanting tAra of moon-like pleasant countenance, vAlI reproached her and said –
“O beauty, why should I tolerate the excited roar of my brother, who is an enemy! Timid woman, it is worse than death for a warrior like me who has never retreated from the battle to tolerate and dodge a challenge thrown at him. I cannot tolerate the arrogant war-cry of the neckless sugrIva mongering war [the word play is on the word grIva, which means neck; sugrIva – well formed neck, expansive neck, where as hInagrIva is no neck!]. There is no reason for you to fear or feel sad about rAma bringing harm to me. He is dhArmic and grateful and so what harm will he do to me?
You have given enough friendly advice and shown your affection and concern. Now go back to the inner chambers along with other women and don’t follow me. Remove this anxiety from your mind. I shall go and fight sugrIva. I will destroy his vanity but not his life. I shall fulfil his desire for a combat and rain blows with my fists and trees, unable to bear which which he will run for his life. You have given me friendly advice indeed. I swear by my life and victory, go back to the inner chambers and I shall return upon winning over my brother in combat”.
Complying with his words, the sweet-spoken tArA sobbed gently, circumambulated vAlI and the expert counselor and well wisher performed the rites of benediction and sobbing rushed back to the inner chambers with the womenfolk.
ततः स्वस्त्ययनं कृत्वा मन्त्रविद्विजयैषिणी।
अन्तःपुरं सह स्त्रीभिः प्रविष्टा शोकमोहिता4.16.12।।
As the womenfolk receded to the inner chambers, vAlI sighing hard like an angry serpent rushed out of his palace and went looking for his challenger and soon found the golden complexioned sugrIva standing there like a flaming fire, ready for combat. Beholding sugrIva standing firm and ready for combat, vAlI flew into a rage, tied his upper cloth tightly to the waist and with an upheld fist charged at sugrIva.
ततः स्वस्त्ययनं कृत्वा मन्त्रविद्विजयैषिणी।
अन्तःपुरं सह स्त्रीभिः प्रविष्टा शोकमोहिता4.16.12।।
sugrIva too, upheld is tight fist and charged at the gold-necklaced vAlI. The two brothers as they charged at each other determinedly with upheld tight fists roared and sledged each other saying – “this fist shall end your life”. vAli’s blows enraged sugrIva, made him more determined and he encountered vAlI even as he was drenched with blood.
He uprooted a giant sAl tree and unleashed a blow on vAlI’s body which was like a giant mountain was hit by a thunderbolt. The blow unsettled vAlI and he wobbled just like a ship overloaded with costly merchandise.
स तु वाली प्रचलितस्सालताडनविह्वलः।
गुरुभारसमाक्रान्तो नौ सार्थ इव सागरे4.16.24।।
तौ भीमबलविक्रान्तौ सुपर्णसमवेगिनौ।
प्रवृद्धौ घोरवपुषौ चन्द्रसूर्याविवाम्बरे।
परस्परममित्रघ्नौ च्छिद्रान्वेषणतत्परौ4.16.25।।
The two mighty brothers, swift and strong like the garuDa with their fierce bodies, inimical to each other, vying to outshine each other like sun and moon on the skies, kept seeking eachother’s loopholes in combat. Soon, vAlI began to grow in strength and sugrIva was losing strength. And yet, even as his strength dwindled, sugrIva fought valiantly and shrewdly attacking vAlI with branches, his fists, diamond like nails and copped those back in equal measure from his brother. Both brothers were drenched in blood resulting from the blows and fought yelling loudly like the thunder.
In the meanwhile, rAma who was watching this all, saw sugrIva losing strength and looking around repeatedly for help. Finding sugrIva to be desperate, rAma readied his bow, fixed his fatal arrow that spit poison like a deadly snake. Stretching the string to the full, rAma unleashed the arrow. As the twang of the string made a reverberating sound, the wild beats, birds and the vAnaras were scared as if the end of time was approaching and ran helter-skelter. The lightning arrow like a glowing thunder went and pierced the chest of vAlI.
Struck by that arrow, vAlI, who was proud of his might, at once fell down unconscious on the earth and resembled the flag of indra brought down on the full moon day of the ASwayuja month, losing his glory.
The best of the arrows plated with gold and silver, capcble of repressing the unfriendly, struck by the best of men, surged from the bow and resembled the fire spit by lord rudra at the end of time and brought down vAlI to the ground like wind uproots a giant aSOka tree. The son of indra at once fell like the flag of indra during the ASwayuja month.
नरोत्तमः कालयुगान्तकोपमं
शरोत्तमं काञ्चनरूप्यभुषितम्।
ससर्ज दीप्तं तममित्रमर्दनं
सधूममग्निं मुखतो यथा हरः4.16.38।।
Here we conclude the sixteenth sarga of the kishkindhA kAnDam of SrImath vAlmiKi rAmAyaNam and humbly offer it at the lotus feet of SrIrAma. Hari: Om!
jAi SrIrAma.
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Next: 4.17. vAlI seeks answer from rAma
Previous: 4.15. tArA counsels, vAlI rejects
rAmabhaktisAmrAjyam 
