Vali (Ramayana)
Encyclopedia
In the Hindu
epic Ramayana
, the vanara
Vali , also known as Bali , , , Yuan: Bari, , Lao
: Palichan) was king of Kishkindha
, a son of Indra
and the elder brother of Sugriva
. He was killed by Rama
, an Avatar
of Vishnu
.
called Vali for a fight when Vali was doing his regular Shiva
Puja. He took Ravana in his tail and took him around all the world. Humbled, Ravana called for a truce. It is said in the Ramayana
that Vali was very brave and courageous. Before dawn he used to go from the Eastern coast of sea to the Western coast and from the Northern coast of the sea to the Southern coast to pay his homage to Surya
- the sun-god. He was so brave and powerful that on his way to pay homage to Surya, he used to toss the mountain peaks upward and catch them as if they were play balls. Also after completing the tedious task of paying homage to the sun god in all the four directions, when he used to return to Kishkindha he does not feel any tiredness .
Vali was the husband of Tara
. As one myth goes, fourteen types of gems or treasures were produced from the churning of ocean
. One gem is that various Apsara
s (divine nymphs) were produced and Tara
was an Apsara produced from the churning of ocean. Vali who was with the devas, helping them in the churning of ocean, took Tara and married with her. .
Vali was very courageous this can be understood from the fact that, when Tara
tried to stop him and begged him to not to go to fight Sugriva
, by saying that it is a God (Rama) who is helping Sugriva and has come to Sugriva’s rescue. Vali replied to Tara that even if he is fighting against a God he can’t listen to a challenge for a fight and remain quiet. He adds that even if the caller for the fight had been his own son Angada
he would still go to fight.
Vali had been known as a good and pious vanara
-king, but had been too outraged to heed his brother Sugriva after his brother had sealed the entrance to a cave in which Vali was fighting a rakshasa
named Mayavi. Sugriva had mistaken the blood flowing out of the cave to be his brother's, blocked the entrance to the cave with a boulder and left for Kishkindha, assuming that his brother was dead. When Vali had emerged victorious over the rakshasa, he had found that the entrance to the cave was blocked. He journeyed back to kingdom to find Sugriva ruling in his place. Sugriva tried to explain the situation to Vali, but Vali, enraged, would not listen. Vali then nearly kills Sugriva, except that Sugriva was able to escape Vali's grasp. Sugriva barely escaped from the kingdom. When Vali chased Sugriva out of his kingdom, he also claimed Sugriva's main wife, Ruma. Sugriva fled into the forest where he eventually meets Rama and Lakshmana.
in search of his wife Sita
- kidnapped by the rakshasa king Ravana
, Rama
meets the rakshasa Kabandha
and kills him, freeing him from a curse. The freed Kabandha advises Rama to seek the help of Sugriva to find Sita.
Continuing on his journey, Rama meets Hanuman and is impressed by his intelligence and skills as an orator. This also boosts Rama's confidence in Sugreeva. Sugreeva tells him the story of how Vali became his enemy. In Sugreeva's version, he is entirely innocent and Rama believes him.
Sugreeva was very scared of Vali and he is full of doubts that Rama could kill him. He tells him many unbelievable stories of Vali's power. As a proof, he shows Rama a hole in a saal tree which Baali had made in one shot. When it is Rama's turn, he penetrates seven trees of saal in a row with one arrow. After crossing the trees, the arrow even makes a strike on a huge rock and splits it into pieces. Sugreeva is happy and says, "O Rama, you are great."
Rama asks Sugreeva to challenge Vali and bring him outside Kishkindha
. As Rama explains later, for 14 years he cannot enter a city. Moreover, Rama does not want any unnecessary bloodbath of Vali's army with whom he wants to maintain friendly relations. Despite this, killing Vali would not be impossible for Rama. Just a few days back Rama had killed Khar
and Dushan and their army of 14,000 rakshasa
s (demons).
Sugreeva formed an alliance with Rama. Rama had been travelling the length of India in search of his kidnapped wife, Sita. Sugriva asked Rama's help in return for his help in defeating Ravana and rescuing Sita. The two hatched a plan to topple Vali from the throne.
Now Rama faces the injured Vali. A dying Vali told Rama if you are searching your wife you should have come to me for help and friendship. Whoever took Sita
even if it is Ravana
I have defeated them and would have taken them at you feet and at your mercy.
So Vali asked the following questions:
Rama makes the following replies to Vali:
, the son of Vali and his first wife, Tara, is made yuvaraja, or second in command.
Rama's slaying of Vali had a special significance. At the beginning Vali argued with Lord Rama, why he had to kill him in a cowardly way. Rama explained to him about the various purusharthas and showed him his Vishvarupa, and granted him moksha
. Vali was then convinced and also asked his son Angada
to stand by his uncle Sugriva
and assist in the divine work of lord Rama.
It is also said, Rama promised Vali to give him a chance to avenge his unjust murder. Vali was reincarnated as the hunter and archer Jara in Mahabharata (Dwapar Yug). Jara was the cause of the death of Shri Krishna (the reincarnation of Shri Rama) when he struck His feet by an arrow taking them to be a deer. Vali's son, Angada
, joined Sri Ram's army and was given important responsibilities in Rama's war against Ravana.
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
epic Ramayana
Ramayana
The Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic. It is ascribed to the Hindu sage Valmiki and forms an important part of the Hindu canon , considered to be itihāsa. The Ramayana is one of the two great epics of India and Nepal, the other being the Mahabharata...
, the vanara
Vanara
Vānara popularly refers to a group of ape-like humanoids in the Hindu epic Ramayana who were brave and inquisitive by nature. They possessed supernatural powers and could change their shapes...
Vali , also known as Bali , , , Yuan: Bari, , Lao
Lao language
Lao or Laotian is a tonal language of the Tai–Kadai language family. It is the official language of Laos, and also spoken in the northeast of Thailand, where it is usually referred to as the Isan language. Being the primary language of the Lao people, Lao is also an important second language for...
: Palichan) was king of Kishkindha
Kishkindha
Kishkindha is mythical the monkey kingdom of the Vanara King Sugriva, the younger brother of Vali, in the Indian mythology of Ramayana times...
, a son of Indra
Indra
' or is the King of the demi-gods or Devas and Lord of Heaven or Svargaloka in Hindu mythology. He is also the God of War, Storms, and Rainfall.Indra is one of the chief deities in the Rigveda...
and the elder brother of Sugriva
Sugriva
In the Hindu epic Ramayana, Sugriva , also spelled Sugreeva or Sugreev, was the younger brother of Bali, whom he succeeded as ruler of the vanara or monkey kingdom Kishkindha. Ruma was his wife. He was the son of Surya, the Hindu deity of the sun...
. He was killed by Rama
Rama
Rama or full name Ramachandra is considered to be the seventh avatar of Vishnu in Hinduism, and a king of Ayodhya in ancient Indian...
, an Avatar
Avatar
In Hinduism, an avatar is a deliberate descent of a deity to earth, or a descent of the Supreme Being and is mostly translated into English as "incarnation," but more accurately as "appearance" or "manifestation"....
of Vishnu
Vishnu
Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....
.
Early life
Vali was famous for the boon that he had received, according to which anyone who came before him lost half his strength to Vali, thereby making Vali invulnerable to any enemy. Once RavanaRavana
' is the primary antagonist character of the Hindu legend, the Ramayana; who is the great king of Lanka. In the classic text, he is mainly depicted negatively, kidnapping Rama's wife Sita, to claim vengeance on Rama and his brother Lakshmana for having cut off the nose of his sister...
called Vali for a fight when Vali was doing his regular Shiva
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
Puja. He took Ravana in his tail and took him around all the world. Humbled, Ravana called for a truce. It is said in the Ramayana
Ramayana
The Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic. It is ascribed to the Hindu sage Valmiki and forms an important part of the Hindu canon , considered to be itihāsa. The Ramayana is one of the two great epics of India and Nepal, the other being the Mahabharata...
that Vali was very brave and courageous. Before dawn he used to go from the Eastern coast of sea to the Western coast and from the Northern coast of the sea to the Southern coast to pay his homage to Surya
Surya
Surya Suraya or Phra Athit is the chief solar deity in Hinduism, one of the Adityas, son of Kasyapa and one of his wives, Aditi; of Indra; or of Dyaus Pitar . The term Surya also refers to the Sun, in general. Surya has hair and arms of gold...
- the sun-god. He was so brave and powerful that on his way to pay homage to Surya, he used to toss the mountain peaks upward and catch them as if they were play balls. Also after completing the tedious task of paying homage to the sun god in all the four directions, when he used to return to Kishkindha he does not feel any tiredness .
Vali was the husband of Tara
Tara (ramayana)
In the Hindu epic Ramayana, Tara is the Queen of Kishkindha and wife of the monkey King Vali. After being widowed, she becomes the Queen of Sugriva, Vali's brother. Tara's intelligence, presence of mind, courage, and devotion to her husband is praised...
. As one myth goes, fourteen types of gems or treasures were produced from the churning of ocean
Samudra manthan
In Hinduism, Samudra manthan or Ksheera Sagara Mathanam, Churning of the Ocean of Milk is one of the most famous episodes in the Puranas...
. One gem is that various Apsara
Apsara
An Apsara , also known as Vidhya Dhari or Tep Apsar in Khmer, Accharā or A Bố Sa La Tư , Bidadari , Biradali , Widodari and Apson , is a female spirit of the clouds and waters in...
s (divine nymphs) were produced and Tara
Tara (ramayana)
In the Hindu epic Ramayana, Tara is the Queen of Kishkindha and wife of the monkey King Vali. After being widowed, she becomes the Queen of Sugriva, Vali's brother. Tara's intelligence, presence of mind, courage, and devotion to her husband is praised...
was an Apsara produced from the churning of ocean. Vali who was with the devas, helping them in the churning of ocean, took Tara and married with her. .
Vali was very courageous this can be understood from the fact that, when Tara
Tara (ramayana)
In the Hindu epic Ramayana, Tara is the Queen of Kishkindha and wife of the monkey King Vali. After being widowed, she becomes the Queen of Sugriva, Vali's brother. Tara's intelligence, presence of mind, courage, and devotion to her husband is praised...
tried to stop him and begged him to not to go to fight Sugriva
Sugriva
In the Hindu epic Ramayana, Sugriva , also spelled Sugreeva or Sugreev, was the younger brother of Bali, whom he succeeded as ruler of the vanara or monkey kingdom Kishkindha. Ruma was his wife. He was the son of Surya, the Hindu deity of the sun...
, by saying that it is a God (Rama) who is helping Sugriva and has come to Sugriva’s rescue. Vali replied to Tara that even if he is fighting against a God he can’t listen to a challenge for a fight and remain quiet. He adds that even if the caller for the fight had been his own son Angada
Angada
Angada , in the Indian Ramayana epic, is a vanara who helped Rama find his wife Sita and fight her abductor, Ravana. He was the son of Bali and Tara and the nephew of Sugriva. Angada and Tara are instrumental in reconciling Rama and his brother, Lakshmana, with Sugriva after Sugriva fails to...
he would still go to fight.
Vali had been known as a good and pious vanara
Vanara
Vānara popularly refers to a group of ape-like humanoids in the Hindu epic Ramayana who were brave and inquisitive by nature. They possessed supernatural powers and could change their shapes...
-king, but had been too outraged to heed his brother Sugriva after his brother had sealed the entrance to a cave in which Vali was fighting a rakshasa
Rakshasa
A Rakshasa or alternatively rakshas, is a race of mythological humanoid beings or unrighteous spirit in Hindu and Buddhist religion...
named Mayavi. Sugriva had mistaken the blood flowing out of the cave to be his brother's, blocked the entrance to the cave with a boulder and left for Kishkindha, assuming that his brother was dead. When Vali had emerged victorious over the rakshasa, he had found that the entrance to the cave was blocked. He journeyed back to kingdom to find Sugriva ruling in his place. Sugriva tried to explain the situation to Vali, but Vali, enraged, would not listen. Vali then nearly kills Sugriva, except that Sugriva was able to escape Vali's grasp. Sugriva barely escaped from the kingdom. When Vali chased Sugriva out of his kingdom, he also claimed Sugriva's main wife, Ruma. Sugriva fled into the forest where he eventually meets Rama and Lakshmana.
Rama meets Sugreeva
Wandering in the forest with his brother LakshmanaLakshmana
Lakshmana was the brother and close companion of Rama, and himself a hero in the famous epic Ramayana...
in search of his wife Sita
SITA
SITA is a multinational information technology company specialising in providing IT and telecommunication services to the air transport industry...
- kidnapped by the rakshasa king Ravana
Ravana
' is the primary antagonist character of the Hindu legend, the Ramayana; who is the great king of Lanka. In the classic text, he is mainly depicted negatively, kidnapping Rama's wife Sita, to claim vengeance on Rama and his brother Lakshmana for having cut off the nose of his sister...
, Rama
Rama
Rama or full name Ramachandra is considered to be the seventh avatar of Vishnu in Hinduism, and a king of Ayodhya in ancient Indian...
meets the rakshasa Kabandha
Kabandha
In Hindu mythology, Kabandha is a Rakshasa who is killed and freed from a curse by the god Rama – an Avatar of Vishnu – and his brother Lakshmana...
and kills him, freeing him from a curse. The freed Kabandha advises Rama to seek the help of Sugriva to find Sita.
Continuing on his journey, Rama meets Hanuman and is impressed by his intelligence and skills as an orator. This also boosts Rama's confidence in Sugreeva. Sugreeva tells him the story of how Vali became his enemy. In Sugreeva's version, he is entirely innocent and Rama believes him.
Sugreeva was very scared of Vali and he is full of doubts that Rama could kill him. He tells him many unbelievable stories of Vali's power. As a proof, he shows Rama a hole in a saal tree which Baali had made in one shot. When it is Rama's turn, he penetrates seven trees of saal in a row with one arrow. After crossing the trees, the arrow even makes a strike on a huge rock and splits it into pieces. Sugreeva is happy and says, "O Rama, you are great."
Rama asks Sugreeva to challenge Vali and bring him outside Kishkindha
Kishkindha
Kishkindha is mythical the monkey kingdom of the Vanara King Sugriva, the younger brother of Vali, in the Indian mythology of Ramayana times...
. As Rama explains later, for 14 years he cannot enter a city. Moreover, Rama does not want any unnecessary bloodbath of Vali's army with whom he wants to maintain friendly relations. Despite this, killing Vali would not be impossible for Rama. Just a few days back Rama had killed Khar
Khara (Ramayana)
Khara was a man-eating rakshasa in the Indian Ramayana epic. He was a younger brother of Ravana, and was killed by Rama when he attacked Rama after Shurpanakha's humiliation.-References:...
and Dushan and their army of 14,000 rakshasa
Rakshasa
A Rakshasa or alternatively rakshas, is a race of mythological humanoid beings or unrighteous spirit in Hindu and Buddhist religion...
s (demons).
Sugreeva formed an alliance with Rama. Rama had been travelling the length of India in search of his kidnapped wife, Sita. Sugriva asked Rama's help in return for his help in defeating Ravana and rescuing Sita. The two hatched a plan to topple Vali from the throne.
Rama-Vali battle
Sugriva challenged Vali to a fight. When Vali sallied forth to meet the challenge, Rama emerged from the forest to shoot and kill him with an arrow, from the back of a tree.Now Rama faces the injured Vali. A dying Vali told Rama if you are searching your wife you should have come to me for help and friendship. Whoever took Sita
SITA
SITA is a multinational information technology company specialising in providing IT and telecommunication services to the air transport industry...
even if it is Ravana
Ravana
' is the primary antagonist character of the Hindu legend, the Ramayana; who is the great king of Lanka. In the classic text, he is mainly depicted negatively, kidnapping Rama's wife Sita, to claim vengeance on Rama and his brother Lakshmana for having cut off the nose of his sister...
I have defeated them and would have taken them at you feet and at your mercy.
So Vali asked the following questions:
- What was my crime?
- Even if I committed a crime (with my brother), what is your right to kill me?
- The third statement shows Vali's disapproval of the way Rama killed him. He says, "I was fighting with some other person and was not careful enough when you shot me."
Rama makes the following replies to Vali:
- The younger brother should be treated like a son. Even if he made a mistake you should forgive him, specially when he promised to respect you for your whole life.
- About his authority he said he had permission from King BharatBharata (Ramayana)In the Hindu epic Ramayana, Bharata was the second brother of the main protagonist Rama, and the son of Dasaratha and Kaikeyi. Dasaratha was the Emperor of Ayodhya and belonged to the Suryavansha or Solar Dynasty...
to spread righteousness and punish evils. - The third argument he quoted how great kings did hunting of deers in the past. In fact, Baali in principle could also be kept in the category of deers and a hunting king does not care whether the deer was careful or not.
After Vali's death
After death of Vali, Sugriva recaptures his kingdom and regains his wife Ruma. AngadaAngada
Angada , in the Indian Ramayana epic, is a vanara who helped Rama find his wife Sita and fight her abductor, Ravana. He was the son of Bali and Tara and the nephew of Sugriva. Angada and Tara are instrumental in reconciling Rama and his brother, Lakshmana, with Sugriva after Sugriva fails to...
, the son of Vali and his first wife, Tara, is made yuvaraja, or second in command.
Rama's slaying of Vali had a special significance. At the beginning Vali argued with Lord Rama, why he had to kill him in a cowardly way. Rama explained to him about the various purusharthas and showed him his Vishvarupa, and granted him moksha
Moksha
Within Indian religions, moksha or mukti , literally "release" , is the liberation from samsara and the concomitant suffering involved in being subject to the cycle of repeated death and reincarnation or rebirth.-Origins:It is highly probable that the concept of moksha was first developed in...
. Vali was then convinced and also asked his son Angada
Angada
Angada , in the Indian Ramayana epic, is a vanara who helped Rama find his wife Sita and fight her abductor, Ravana. He was the son of Bali and Tara and the nephew of Sugriva. Angada and Tara are instrumental in reconciling Rama and his brother, Lakshmana, with Sugriva after Sugriva fails to...
to stand by his uncle Sugriva
Sugriva
In the Hindu epic Ramayana, Sugriva , also spelled Sugreeva or Sugreev, was the younger brother of Bali, whom he succeeded as ruler of the vanara or monkey kingdom Kishkindha. Ruma was his wife. He was the son of Surya, the Hindu deity of the sun...
and assist in the divine work of lord Rama.
It is also said, Rama promised Vali to give him a chance to avenge his unjust murder. Vali was reincarnated as the hunter and archer Jara in Mahabharata (Dwapar Yug). Jara was the cause of the death of Shri Krishna (the reincarnation of Shri Rama) when he struck His feet by an arrow taking them to be a deer. Vali's son, Angada
Angada
Angada , in the Indian Ramayana epic, is a vanara who helped Rama find his wife Sita and fight her abductor, Ravana. He was the son of Bali and Tara and the nephew of Sugriva. Angada and Tara are instrumental in reconciling Rama and his brother, Lakshmana, with Sugriva after Sugriva fails to...
, joined Sri Ram's army and was given important responsibilities in Rama's war against Ravana.
External links
- Mahabharata, Book III: Vana Parva, Section 278: online text for the section of the Mahabharata describing Rama's alliance with Sugriva and the killing of Bali.
- Ramayana, Book IV, Canto 16: online text for the section of the RamayanaRamayanaThe Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic. It is ascribed to the Hindu sage Valmiki and forms an important part of the Hindu canon , considered to be itihāsa. The Ramayana is one of the two great epics of India and Nepal, the other being the Mahabharata...
of ValmikiValmikiValmiki is celebrated as the poet harbinger in Sanskrit literature. He is the author of the epic Ramayana, based on the attribution in the text of the epic itself. He is revered as the Adi Kavi, which means First Poet, for he discovered the first śloka i.e...
describing Bali's death at the hands of Rama. - Photographs of a bas relief at the temple of Banteay Srei in Cambodia depicting the combat between Bali and Sugriva.
- Valmiki Ramayana Kishkindha Kanda Prose Sagara 11