Vaali Vadam is one of the most misunderstood and maligned episodes of Ramayana. In subtle Dharma behind Vaali Vadam we walked through the episode through the eyes of Valmiki to understand the view points of Vaali and Rama. We analyzed the response that was contained within Valmiki Ramayana. We also projected some scenarios of possibilities, which we will dive into in this portion. The most common questions like why was Vaali killed by Rama and the modus operandi were deliberated between Vaali and Rama to the former’s satisfaction. Still few questions keep rising in the cesspools of the dark tamasic corners of our minds. Why did Rama have to kill Vaali? When Tara, Vaali’s wife was able to recognize Rama as Paramatma, why not Vaali? If at all he had to kill, why not fight him straight? At the end of the day, he accused Rama directly, but was completely satisfied with his response, enough to evoke strong sense of remorse and gratitude that Rama would be going out of the way to resolve it earlier. All these factors add to mystery and controversy.
Why kill Raavana? Rama had numerous reasons prior to the kidnapping of Sita to take down Ravana. His entire Avatara was centered around Ravana’s removal/evolution, yet he is ready to accept him when he does Saranagati. Despite Hanuman’s role as a Dhoota, he sends Angada to officially send the message of peace. Even though he had the upper hand to destroy him on his very first encounter, Rama asks Ravana to recoup his energy and fight again. What is fascinating, when Sugriva declares Vibhishana as unworthy of Saranagati, Rama explains to him patiently that if Ravana wanted to do Saranagati, he would gladly accept him so. (This implies even Vaali)
आनय एनम् हरि श्रेष्ठ दत्तम् अस्य अभयम् मया || विभीषणो वा सुग्रीव यदि वा रावणः स्वयम् |
ānaya enam hari śreṣṭha dattam asya abhayam mayā || vibhīṣaṇo vā sugrīva yadi vā rāvaṇaḥ svayam | (VR 6-18-34)
Oh Sugriva, the chief amongst the Vanaras! Let him be Vibhishana or even Ravana himself. I have personally given him an assurance of safety. Bring him here.
Rama who goes on through so many hoops to kill Ravana as the absolute last resort gives us a strong clue about Vaali vadam. There is more than just hiding and hitting Vaali with a single fatal arrow, unseen. The other puranas give us an additional insight of the doorkeepers of Vaikunta – Jaya and Vijaya.
But then why rush to kill Vaali? Rama was already hinted by Kabandha to seek Sugriva’s friendship over Vaali. The very first action he takes at their rendezvous is to walk around the agni seven times, Saptapadi, and accept him as a his friend and brother. He did not ask about Sugriva’s troubles with Vaali until later and even humors him by performing small tasks to win his confidence. He immediately formulates a plan to call for a duel between Vaali and Sugriva and hit Vaali unseen. Interestingly neither the outspoken Lakshmana nor the sagacious Hanuman do not object to the plan. Both are known for their dharma observance and understanding. The probable objection of some half baked blind critic that Rama’s dominance might pushed them to silence is not tenable. This again adds to the clue that there is more than what meets the eye.
Crimes of Vaali: Vaali was very powerful Vanara who towered as a powerful leader. Owing to the misunderstanding that Sugriva blocked the cave entrance when he had ventured in for a fight with an asura called Maayavi. Having waited for a year and seeing ominous silence with blood flowing, the shocked Sugriva assumed the worst to block the cave to protect the denizens of his kingdom. Seeing the Kingdom Kingless, he was crowned as the next regent. Vaali who escaped from the cave, assumed it as a plot. Sugriva surrendered the crown and begged his forgiveness, which Vaali never accepted. Apart from thrashing him, he even took over Sugriva’s beloved wife, Ruma, as a concubine. A daughter-in-law is supposed to be treated as a daughter, per shastras. Rama lists this as the primary reason for eliminating Vaali.
Vaali ignored his wife, Tara’s superior advice, as he was merely blinded by rage and spite for Sugriva. He was definitely aware of Rama’s presence and active support, yet he discounted it due to his clouded understanding of Dharma.
There is another crime of Vaali that is implied by his own statements. As the fatal arrow was draining his life, Vaali mocks Rama for seeking Sugriva over him to find Sita. Vaali mentally recalls his prevailing over Ravana and is confident that he was the best man to bring Sita back. It was a tacit acceptance that he knew of Ravana’s crime. When Rama met Sugriva for the first time, he is shown a piece of Sari with few of Sita’s jewels bundled. Rama was able to trace the crime route. Vaali’s implicit silence to such a crime in his territory was another big crime.
As a Raja, the one who must uphold Dharma, Vaali himself became a violator by ignoring Sugriva, who fell at his feet and asked for apology. He committed a grave papa by taking over Ruma, as a concubine. Though being way more powerful than Ravana, he ignored the crime of Sita’s kidnap that happened within his territory and with his full knowledge. Worse yet, he did not even attempt to set the crime right by following up with Ravana. Uttara Kanda, 39th Sarga gives a thorough insight into the dominance of Vaali over Ravana.
Why kill Vaali? Rama weighed in all the crimes of Vaali. His Avatara was to restore Dharma. Vaali having transformed himself into a powerful person who ignored the basics of Dharma was a menace to the society. Rama responds to Vaali’s barrage of questions and gives more than adequate answers. The responses soothe Vaali who accepts his guilt, but more importantly thanks Rama for releasing from the effects of his own papa.
When Ramavatara happened all the Devas and divine beings wanted to contribute to this worthy cause. They were born as Vanaras. In this divine play, everybody had a scripted part to play. But Vaali gets deluded by his own power, goes off script on to an adharmic track. Worse yet, he enters into a pact of friendship, witnessed by Agni, with Ravana. Ravana exploits this friendship treaty by carrying on his papakarmas. Just like in a stage drama, if one of the characters go too much off script, the director intervenes with some improvisation, the character of Vaali was eliminated from the remainder of Ramayana.
Why kill indirectly? As Vaali’s crimes against Sugriva and Ruma deserved a death sentence, why not engage in a duel directly to eliminate? Some commentators opine that as Vaali witnessed Sita’s kidnapping silently in the background, Rama’s punishment also came from the unseen background. Though it is an interesting theory and acceptable, it appears Rama has few more mysteries around this move.
Bhagavad Gita comes to the rescue in understanding Ramayana. We studied the deep insights in BG 7-15, Gita insights – the doomed. We gather that there are four broad stages of being moodah, surrendering completely to our lower vasanas, knowledge completely overpowered by maya, the illusory power and the final stage of asuric mindset with a strong hate for dharma/Bhagawan.
न मां दुष्कृतिनो मूढाः प्रपद्यन्ते नराधमाः । माययापहृतज्ञाना आसुरं भावमाश्रिताः ॥
na māṃ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ । māyayāpahṛtajñānā āsuraṃ bhāvamāśritāḥ ॥
The malefactors (duṣkṛtina) do not seek refuge in Bhagawan. They are the foolish, ones surrendered to following the lowest nature, deprived of insight due to maya and the ones filled with asuric qualities.
It is very easy to trace Vaali quickly graduated to the third stage. He was a person who was driven by sensory pleasures, a fact repeatedly documented. He is prone to making quick rash decisions owing to his pride in his own strength. Yet this habit has become deep rooted as we see the way he impetuously rushes to take on Maayavi and Dundhubi. His arrogance blinds him when he flicks the carcass of Dundhubi, causing polluted blood to foul Matanga Maharishi’s ashram, thus earning his curse.
Despite Tara’s superlative well meaning advice delivered perfectly, he is blinded by hate for Sugriva, who was no match for his prowess. We also see a spate of crimes of Vaali which is a clear demonstration of his stage two ailment. But when Tara spoke of Rama and his superlative qualities, it made no dent in Vaali. The same Tara goes on to provide deeper insight about Rama after Vaali’s fall, as we studied in How the female opponents saw Rama. Despite his wonderful pedigree, Vaali is completely ignorant of Rama’s greatness, on account of his own regression. He continues to measure him from his corrupted dharma perception. This is a clear demonstration of the stage three of Krishna’s classification of the doomed. The same disease gets exhibited by Duryodhana and Dhritarashtra when Krishna displays his Viraat Swarupa, but makes no dent in their understanding. Duryodhana goes on to display his level four asuric mindset, wanting to fight Krishna right away.
Rama being unseen is more than literal representation of the events. Tara tried to knock some sense into Vaali, only to be ignored. In such cases, when Bhagawan’s anugraha comes in the form of Karmaphala and in Vaali’s special case, along with a personal explantion from Bhagawan Himself, there is total clarity. But in normal cases of us mortals, every time we find unexpected Karmaphala, it is a definitive proof that the Phaladata, Bhagawan, is sending a special message. Owing to our heedlessness (Pramada), we either do not introspect to investigate or do not grasp the real message. Karmaphala is an expression of Bhagawan’s presence and proof of his grace. Though Karmaphala may not be conducive to our expectations, it always aligns us back to Dharma.
Was Saranagati possible? That leaves us the last question, was Vaali capable of Saranagati. Vaali was able to realize Bhagawan’s presence only due to his Karmaphala. What if Vaali accepted Rama’s superior stature and patched up with Sugriva and joined hands with him against Ravana? We already noted that the defeated Ravana was clever enough to propose and peddle a friendship treaty with Vaali. In case of war against Ravana, he would easily invoke that clause and pull Vaali to his side. Just like we see Salya caught in the crossfires of displaced loyalty, Vaali and all his resources too could be pledged against Rama.
Sugriva was the estranged brother of Vaali who was bound by the friendship treaty with Ravana. To break this stalemate of wrong relationships, Rama enters into not a mere pact of friendship but also declares Sugriva as his brother. This not only cements Sugriva firmly in his column, but also disqualified Vaali. This is where Maya, the illusory power of Bhagawan went into overdrive. It tapped all the Papas and vasanas of Vaali which were all turned against him and shrouded his intellect. Even if Bhagawan were literally in front of him, he would not have perceived him. In short, Rama, saves Vaali from the predicament of these embarrassing choices, but instead shields him by merely providing his Karmaphala at the appropriate time.
The Karmaphala came in the form of the unseen fatal arrow. As he exhausts his limited waning strength as an angry tirade of questions, the responses of Rama start uplifting his fallen Buddhi. He is able to completely grasp not only his mistakes, but also the fact that Rama’s actions exonerated him from all his papas. He is so thankful for Rama’s grace to even take care of him, despite his fallen nature. Prayaschita when it brings a guna transformation, makes one pensive and reflective, as witness in Ahalya’s vimochana. It also highlights Bhagavan’s endless Kripa he is the only refuge even for the most fallen.
We see that Jaya-Vijaya’s fall was also softened by HIS unbounded compassion. The same powerful message emanates from the Subtle Dharma behind Vaali Vada. Because of our Papas and our ahamkara, we alienate ourselves from Bhagawan. Despite that HE is ever so close to us as Phaladata and ensures that our Karmaphala keep reminding us of his constant presence and love. Tainted by our papas, especially if we are on a fast track in the reverse direction, we become unfit to serve in HIS Leelas, especially in a positive role. Just like the lack of one’s fitness disqualifies one from a sports team or a corrupt person unfit for a public office, our own papas wedge us out. Still Bhagawan doesn’t count us out.
Vaali Vada is laced with so much subliminal messages that it may be hard to unearth in a few articles. In the Part 1, the entire emphasis was to eliminate the controversies due to misinterpretation. In this episode, we focused on understanding the subtle hidden meaning. We also take hope that Rama is the sole refuge, no matter what stage of our life, whether we progress or regress in our spiritual journey. Ramayana is not merely the ayana, path, of Rama. Ramayana is the path we need to follow Rama, the very embodiment of Dharma. May Rama give us the wisdom and courage to embark on this arduous, yet the most sreyas path and the destination is Rama HIMSELF.
ॐ तत् सत
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