Hari Om.
Let us begin the eighteenth sarga of the kishkindhA kAnDam by offering our prostrations at the lotus feet of SrIrAma and our sathguru.
The king of vAnaras, vAlI responded to sugrIva’s challenge in a rash and rushed up manner, discarding with disdain tArA’s warnings and wise counsel. He jumped into the arena and the duo battled quite determinedly, outdoing each other with their skill and spirit. The blows rained, the battle lingered and as it did, sugrIva was slowly ceding ground to vAlI who was getting the upper hand by the minute. This time, rAma, aware of who was who, thanks to the garland around sugrIva’s neck, sent a sureshot arrow flying from his mighty bow. The unerring arrow traveled at great speeds and was planted in vAlI’s chest in no time felling him down at once. As rAma slowly approached vAlI, the fallen hero was livid that rAma chose to fight him without coming to the front and lambasted him for this apparently unrighteous way of felling him down. He questioned rAma’s action with respect to his great lineage and said no matter what, he cannot see how rAma found it justifiable to kill him thus. He sought answer from rAma who was ready to provide. Onwards…
vAlI lay in the battle field resembling the Sun shorn of his brilliance, the rain cloud drained out and a fire that has burnt out. He spoke meaningfully and courteously, but all the same put very pointed questions to rAma. To such questions raised by the king of the vAnaras endowed with dharma and the means, rAma who was facing the charges, replied –
“O vAlI, being innocent of dharma, artha, kAma (trifold goals of life) and the ways of the world, you are accusing me thus in a very childish manner.
अपृष्ट्वा बुद्धिसम्पन्नान्वृद्धानाचार्यसम्मतान्।
सौम्य वानरचापल्यात्किं मावक्तुमिहेच्छसि4.18.5।।
O gentle vAnara, without conferring with the wise, elderly and the likes of the gurus, your accusations are frivolous. This entire earth along with the forests and hills belong to the ikshvAkus and hence they are capable of both punishing and rewarding the people, birds and beasts. This earth is being protected by the dhArmic, truthful and upright king bharata who is a keen knower of the trifold goals of life – dharma, artha and kAma and is engaged in dispensing justice in form of both restraining and showering grace. He is a repository of the qualities of dispensing justice, humility, truthfulness, valour and an appropriate knowledge of the occasion and circumstances.
तस्य धर्मकृतादेशा वयमन्ये च पार्थिवाः।
चरामो वसुधां कृत्स्नां धर्मसन्तानमिच्छवः4.18.9।।
Following his orders steeped in dharma, we other kings roam the entire earth protecting dharma. When such a dhArmic king is ruling the earth, how can anyone have the audacity to stray away from dharma and if someone does so, as per the instructions of bharata that person needs to be restrained as appropriate.
You have violated dharma through your despicable actions. Giving passion the front seat, you have strayed from the ways of the king. An elder brother, father and the guru who has conferred vidyA (learning), all these three are father-like figures. It is the demand of dharma that the younger brother, son and the disciple of virtuous qualities should be looked after like one’s own son.
सूक्ष्मः परमदुर्ज्ञेयः सतां धर्मः प्लवङ्गम ।
हृदिस्थस्सर्वभूतानाम् आत्मा वेद शुभाशुभम् ॥ 4.18.15।।
It is extremely difficult to fathom the intricacies and the subtleties of dharma practiced by the noble men. However, deep in the heart of every being, there is Atma that knows the difference between good and evil clearly. You are a fickle minded vAnara and you confer with other fickle minded vAnaras. So just like the one born blind conferring with others who are also born blind, how will you be able to see things clearly? I shall explain to you the subtleties and nuances of dharma, you ought not simply despise me out of anger.
Listen to and understand the reason for you being felled by me. Having given up the eternal code of conduct, you are in habitation with the wife of your brother, sugrIva even as he is alive and are sinfully dealing with her driven by lust. Therefore, O vAnara, since you have violated the moral code of conduct and the wife of your brother this punishment has been meted out to you by me. Being born in a hallowed lineage of kshatriyas, I know the moral code which prescribes death for those who violate a sister, daughter or a brother’s wife. I don’t see any other way of restraining someone who violates dharma thus. It is bharata who is the king and is ruling the earth in conformity with dharma. Those like you who violate the dharma will not be tolerated and I have merely followed the instructions of bharata.
I had given word to sugrIva in the presence of vAnaras that I shall rescue his wife and kingdom. How could those like me not honour a promise? My bond with sugrIva is similar to that with lakshmaNa and he is devoted to my welfare. It is indeed the duty of a friend who follows dharma to honour the promise. Due to the aforementioned reasons, you must know and approve that your felling is in conformity with dharma.
This dharma that I followed could have been followed by you as well. Listen to these two verses laid by the great manu and the dhArmic people of the earth about the right conduct which guided me to take the action that I did –
राजभिर्धृतदण्डास्तु कृत्वा पापानि मानवाः।
निर्मलास्स्वर्गमायान्ति सन्तस्सुकृतिनो यथा ।।4.18.32।।
शासनाद्वाऽपिमोक्षाद्वा स्तेनः पापाद्विमुच्यते ।
राजात्वशासन्पापस्य तदवाप्नोति किल्बिषम् ।।4.18.33।।
The sinners on account of the punishment meted out by the king ascend the high heavens just like the pious and performers of good deeds do. Either by punishment or acquittal, the sinner is delivered from his sin. A king, on the other hand who doesn’t deliver justice incurs sin. My fore father mAndhata due to a sin committed by SaramaNa like the one committed by you had incurred quite an ignominy. Unvigilant kings who let such adharma take place in their have to atone for their sins.
तदलं परितापेन धर्मतः परिकल्पितः।
वधो वानरशार्दूल न वयं स्ववशे स्थिता:।।4.18.36।।
Therefore, enough of grief, O vAnara, your death has the sanction of the scriptures and to act otherwise, we are not independent.
And listen to this other reason, O vAnara and don’t be angry with me. I am neither angry nor pensive for having felled you. People capture their preys in a variety of ways – through nets, through ropes, by deceit, while in view or being out of view of it. Whether the prey is alert or docile, whether it is static or running away, facing them or is otherwise is of no consideration. Sagely kings who are well versed in dharma also go for hunting. Therefore, O vAnara, since you are a prey and hunt-worthy, you have been struck down by my arrow whether you were fighting me or not.
दुर्लभस्य च धर्मस्य जीवितस्य शुभस्य च4.18.42।।
राजानो वानरश्रेष्ठ प्रदातारो न संशयः।
तान्न हिंस्यान्न चाक्रोशेन्नाक्षिपेन्नाप्रियं वदेत्4.18.43।।
देवा मानुषरूपेण चरन्त्येते महीतले।
त्वं तु धर्ममविज्ञाय केवलं रोषमास्थितः4.18.44।।
प्रदूषयसि मां धर्मे पितृपैतामहे स्थितम्।
The kings confer the difficult to obtain dharma, life and all auspiciousness on the earth. They are indeed the forms of god walking on the earth and are not to spoken to harshly, harmed or ridiculed. You have no clue about dharma, you are just blurting out in frustration and casting aspersions on me who is steeped in the dharma followed by my forefathers”.
एवमुक्तस्तु रामेण वाली प्रव्यथितो भृशम्4.18.45।।
न दोषं राघवे दध्यौ धर्मेऽधिगतनिश्चयः।
vAlI was extremely pained to hear this rebuttal and having understood rAma’s words, he found no fault with him and said with folded hands –
“O rAghava, indeed what you have said is true. An ordinary person cannot rebut a learned one. Rashly and without consideration whatever I have spoken before, please do not take offence for that. You have comprehensive knowledge of good and bad, engaged in the welfare of people, endowed with supreme intellect, well aware of the cause and effect and your words are very pleasant. O knower of dharma, please do tend me who has not followed dharma in the past. I grieve not for myself, or tArA or my other kin. I grieve for my son angada, braced with golden anklets, who I loved dearly since childhood and he might be devastated without seeing me like a pond which has dried up. He is still young, innocent of the ways of the world and mighty. O rAma, this son of tAra needs to be protected by you. O rAma, you are aware of what is to be done and what is not be done. Please shower your affection equally on angada and sugrIva just like you shower on lakshmaNa and bharata. Kindly ensure that the pious tArA doesn’t have to pay for my misdeed and don’t let sugrIva run her down. By virtue of your grace, it is possible to rule the kingdom. Those who are under your control and are obedient to you can rule over the earth and the heavens. Although tArA tried to prevent me from coming to battle sugrIva, it is with a wish to die in your hands that I entered the battlefield”.
त्वत्तोऽहं वधमाकाङ्क्षन्वार्यमाणोऽपि तारया।
सुग्रीवेण सह भ्रात्रा द्वन्द्वयुद्धमुपागतः4.18.59।।
इत्युक्त्वा सन्नतो रामं विरराम हरीश्वरः।
With these words vAlI fell silent in the presence of rAma. rAma consoled vAlI who was now realized and spoke words in conformity with dharma conferring peace on him –
“O vAnara, be relieved of all these worries. Worry not about me or yourself. Bygones are bygones and have been done in accordance with dharma.
दण्ड्ये यः पातयेद्दण्डं दण्ड्यो यश्चापि दण्ड्यते।
कार्यकारणसिद्धार्था वुभौ तौ नावसीदतः4.18.63।।
He who punishes and he who is punished, both are governed by the law of cause and effect. Hence do not despair. By virtue of the punishment given by me you have been redeemed in to your true dhArmic nature. Therefore discard distress, infatuation and any fear you may have in your heart. It was certainly not possible for you to transgress fate.
यथा त्वय्यङ्गदो नित्यं वर्तते वानरेश्वर।
तथा वर्तेत सुग्रीवे मयि चापि न संशयः4.18.66।।
Just how angada dealt with you in the past, he will deal with sugrIva and myself in the same manner. Be assured”.
Listening to the pleasant words of rAma who was steeped in the path of dharma, vAlI spoke appropriate words –
“O mighty rAma of tremendous valour, without knowing the right and wrong and hurt by your arrow, unknowingly I abused you. O king, kindly pardon my fault and shower your grace”.
शराभितप्तेन विचेतसा मया
प्रदूषितस्त्वं यदजानता प्रभो।
इदं महेन्द्रोपम भीमविक्रम
प्रसादितस्त्वं क्षम मे नरेश्वर4.18.68।।
Here we conclude the eighteenth 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: 4.19. Her worst fears come true
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rAmabhaktisAmrAjyam 
