Hari Om.
Let us begin the ninth sarga of the kishkindhA kAnDam by offering our prostrations at the lotus feet of SrIrAma and our sathguru.
The vAnara warrior sugrIva was beginning to develop confidence in rAma. While he tried to gauge the ability of rAma to deliver him from grief in his own way, slowly but surely he was gravitating towards the belief that rAma was the ultimate refuge of every seeker and that he was capable of saving sugrIva as well. Slowly, he began to confide in rAma and began narrating the ignominy that his brother vAlI subjected him to and how the two brothers turned bitter enemies. However sugrIva would only tell the art of the story of what vAlI did to him and clearly said, the only end to this sorrow of his was the death of vAlI, no less. rAma assured him that this was no big matter but sought to know what exactly led to this bitter fall out between the two. Assured of help, sugrIva began to narrate the tale that led to the enmity. Onwards…
वाली नाम मम भ्राता ज्येष्ठश्शत्रुनिषूदनः।
पितुर्बहुमतो नित्यं ममापि च तथा पुरा4.9.1।।
“My elder brother by name vAlI is a vanquisher of enemies. In the past he was well regarded by my father as well as me. Upon the demise of our father, the council of ministers unanimously appointed him as the king and lord of the vAnaras. As he ruled over the ancestral kingdom thus inherited, I was always by his side like an obedient attendant.
राज्यं प्रशासतस्तस्य पितृपैतामहं महत्।
अहं सर्वेषु कालेषु प्रणतः प्रेष्यवत् स्थितः4.9.3।।
The bitter enmity between mAyAvI, the mighty son of dundubhi and vAli for the sake of a woman is well known in the world. Once, during a night, when the entire kishkindhA was asleep, mAyAvI came and began to yell ferociously and challenge vAlI for a combat. Listening to the frightful war cry, the mighty vAlI jumped out of his bed, seething with anger and even though the womenfolk and me advised against it, charged at once to where mAyAvI was. Out of my affection for vAlI, I followed him quickly. As mAyAvI saw a seething vAlI in front of him and me little behind vAlI, he was frightened and began to run away. We both gave him the chase in the moon-lit night and the demon mAyAvI entered into a cave covered with hay which was difficult to access.
My brother vAlI was livid to see the demon enter into the cave and determined to vanquish him, asked me to stay guard at the mouth of the cave while he went and killed the demon. I pleaded with him to accompany him but he made me swear by his feet which I prostrated to and leaving me to guard the cave, he entered inside. I waited on thus a for a full year but saw no traces of him. My mind was growing apprehensive on account of my love for him and not seeing him for long. And after a long time, I heard loud voices of the demon from the cave but not that of my brother vAlI. In the meanwhile, hot and foamy blood began to flow out of the cave. I was devastated and offered libations to my brother, and closing the mouth of the cave with a heavy boulder I went back to kishkindhA. I wanted to keep the (purported) death of vAlI a secret, but the ministers diligent in their efforts, came to know about it.
शोकार्तश्चोदकं कृत्वा किष्किन्धामागतस्सखे।
गूहमानस्य मे तत्त्वं यत्नतो मन्त्रिभिश्श्रुतम्4.9.20।।
ततोऽहं तैस्समागम्य सम्मतैरभिषेचितः।
राज्यं प्रशासतस्तस्य न्यायतो मम राघव4.9.21।।
Then they all unanimously decided that I should be the king and coronated me. Taking their help I began to rule over the kingdom justly.
Then one day, after killing the demon, vAlI returned to kishkindhA. Seeing me coronated and ruling over the kingdom, vAlI flew into a rage! He imprisoned my ministers and began to speak to me harshly. I was capable of giving it back and restraining him, but my respect for my elder brother prevented me from doing so. I bowed down and touched my head on his feet, but vAlI was not pleased and he didn’t bless me”.
नत्वा पादावहं तस्य मकुटेनास्पृशं प्रभो
अपि वाली मम क्रोधान्न प्रसादं चकार सः4.9.26।।
Here we conclude the ninth 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: 4.10. vAlI bullies and banishes sugrIva
Previous: 4.8. sugrIva pours his heart out to rAma
rAmabhaktisAmrAjyam 