The Slaying of Vali

An alliance in the forest

Searching for the abducted Sita, Rama and Lakshmana reached Rishyamuka hill, where Sugriva, the exiled vanara prince, lived in fear of his brother. Through Hanuman, the two formed an alliance: Sugriva would help Rama find Sita with his vanara armies, and Rama would help Sugriva reclaim the throne of Kishkindha from his estranged brother Vali. This episode of the Ramayana raises one of its deepest moral questions.

The brothers’ feud

Vali was all but invincible, for a boon gave him half the strength of any foe who stood before him. Years earlier, a tragic misunderstanding at a cave had turned the brothers into enemies: believing Vali dead, Sugriva had taken the throne; Vali, returning alive, had driven him out and seized his wife. Sugriva could not hope to defeat him in open combat.

The arrow from hiding

Rama had Sugriva challenge Vali to a duel, and as the two grappled, Rama shot Vali with an arrow from behind a tree. The dying Vali reproached Rama bitterly: how could the very embodiment of dharma strike an unseen, unfair blow at one who was not even fighting him? Rama answered that Vali had committed a grave sin in wronging his brother and taking his wife, that as a prince upholding dharma he was bound to punish it, and that hunters may strike even from concealment. Vali, hearing this, accepted the justice of his death, asked Rama to care for his son Angada, and died at peace.

The meaning

The killing of Vali is debated to this day. It is not a simple tale of good and evil but a genuine puzzle about kingship, justice and the manner of punishment — and about whether even Rama’s conduct can be questioned. The Ramayana offers Rama’s reasoning but leaves the listener to weigh it, which is part of why the episode has been pondered for centuries.