Vali Vadham 46

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The final diagnosis

 

 

This is as far as Valmiki Ramayana is concerned. If one comes to Kamban, this

question does not arise at all. The reader will recollect the careful manner in

which Kamban has been building up the events. It is no doubt Valmiki's Vali

makes a mention as follows: "Had you fought with me on the battlefield remaining

before my eyes, O prince, you would have seen God Yama (son of the sun-god) when

killed by me this (very) day. (Valmiki Ramayana, Kishkindha Kanda, Canto XVII,

Sloka 47). Though he sounds a little superior to Rama in this Sloka, he changes

his mind in the following verses, when he says, 'you should have approached me

instead, for I would have brought your wife back from Ravana.' Though this may

sound inconsistent it is understandable that a person in the last throes of

death could not check his tongue and Vali's overstatement was given the wink by

Rama. Subsequently even Valmiki's Vali accepts the fact that Rama was right in

what he did.

 

As far as Kamba Ramayana is concerned, the question of Vali deriving the power

of his opponent applying or not applying to Rama is a non-issue. Kamban has not

put such words as in Valmiki Ramayana, into the mouth of Vali at all. I quote

what Sri VVS Aiyar has to say on this.

 

"The reference by Vali to his immense prowess and magical capacity mentioned by

us above aims at making the reader think that perhaps even Rama could not have

killed Vali if he should have faced him. And if Vali must be killed for his

crimes against Sugriva, as the reader like Vali himself must agree after Rama's

justification, what has Rama to do except shoot at him from behind a cover

without facing him? But at the same time, see how Kamban takes care that Vali

does not say that this magical power would work against Rama also. It is after

his reference to his magical power that Tara mentions Rama's name, and naturally

one would expect Vali to say that magic would cover Rama's case as well. But

the careful Kamban does not put these words into his mouth. For he wants to

leave the capacity of Rama to fight face to face with Vali an open question,

being satisfied with the impression in the mind of his reader that possibly the

Vara of Vali would have enabled him to withstand the force of Rama's dart if

Rama had appeared before him."

 

In other words, as far as Kamba Ramayana is concerned, the so-called magical

power of Vali to receive half the power of his opponent was not an issue at all

when it came to Rama.

 

It is therefore not appropriate to think of Rama who wiped out legions and

legions of reserve forces (mUla bala sainya) of Ravana and also the vast army of

Kara and Dhooshana all alone by himself without the assistance of anyone, to

have gone behind the tree to kill Vali just to avoid his getting the power of

Rama. Govindaraja has given out the reason for this very well and Kamban has

put it through the mouth of Lakshmana. More important, Vali had no hesitation

in accepting it. When Vali himself, who argued quite vehemently, was convinced

of the acts of crime which he committed that deserved the punishment and what

Lakshmana told him as the reason for Rama's attack from behind a tree, there

could be no difficulty for others to accept the situation.

 

Let us see the reaction of Vali and a few related questions that remain to be

seen like why Rama chose a weaker ally in Sugriva rather than Vali.