Ramayan Part 35 - Sugreeva's Encounter With Vali Poem by Rajaram Ramachandran

Sugreeva doubted Ram’s strength,
Compared to Vali’s mighty strength,
He told Ram how powerful Vali was,
The story behind and the cause.

“To four oceans Vali goes,
In his palm he daily takes,
Sips water with his prayers,
Back to Kishkinda he comes.”

“A heavy rock he can lift
And like a ball toss it.
He can pull out giant trees
Just like blades of grass.”

“Once in a buffalo’s shape,
A demon, Dundubhi, came up,
Challenged Vali for a dual fight,
When he was taking rest.”

“You won’t believe if I say,
Vali flung its carcass miles away,
Its blood spilled all the way,
Pieces of flesh fell as prey.”

“A blood-fall on the Ashram site,
Of Sage Matanga polluted it,
And he cursed for his death,
Once he touched the site’s earth.”

“I’m hiding inside this site,
As Vali can’t any time visit,
On account of the curse fear,
Which keeps me safe here.”

His strength to prove at once,
Ram’s arrow went to pierce,
Seven Sal trees one by one,
Thus Sugreeva’s faith he won.

Sugreeva called for a fight,
But Vali with all his might,
Threw him out of the place,
And he returned in disgrace.

As they both looked alike,
The target Ram didn’t strike,
For fear of killing his friend,
In his sincere action to defend.

His problem Sugreeva understood,
Wearing a garland, he again stood
On the spot, Vali came for a dual,
And sounded his death knell.

Sugreeva was losing his grip,
By then Ram’s arrow tip,
Hit Vali’s chest deep,
And sucked his life up.

In his death bed Vali accused
Ram for having misused
His weapon hiding backward,
Instead of fighting forward.

Later several interpretations go,
For Ram’s behind the back show,
As Indra’s necklace was a talisman,
None could face him direct and win.

To animal class, Vali belonged,
One can kill an animal from behind.
Ram justified killing by this choice,
As on Dharma, an animal had no voice.

Vali misused his powers, drove out,
His own brother, with his wife slept,
The sages in the forest he offended,
As an unruly criminal, rules he quoted.

Ram gave a word of friendship,
To remove Sugreeva’s hardship,
He had to keep up his word,
No alternative but this way he killed.

Vali entrusted his wife Tara,
And his young son Angada,
To the care of Sugreeva,
And died blessed by Rama.