Value Education and Spirituality 30 – Ramayana 12 – Vali 3 – Real repentance is seen in rectification

Transcript

This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors.
Hare Krishna. Welcome back to the value education and spirituality series.
We are discussing from the Ramayana. And we will discuss on Vali in the second part. We will discuss how real repentance is seen in rectification.
Real repentance is seen in rectification. So, now Vali has ruling as the king. And Sugriva tried several times to clarify and make amends.
But Vali suspiciously rejected all his overtures. And in fact, several times Vali tried to attack. And even Sugriva started feeling that Vali may even want to assassinate me.
So, the relationship between them became so poor that they just could not talk with each other at all. And Vali felt extremely suspicious. And he would not let anyone, he just would not listen to Sugriva’s side of the story.
Even if others tried to come and tell him. He was so sure of what his brother had done. And then Sugriva, he had to practically flee for his life from Vali and his associates.
So, finally Sugriva hid himself in a place called Kishkindha. There, that area was a place where Vali could not come. Because he had been cursed.
Once he had killed a demon. And after killing the demon, he had just, in order to exhibit his prowess, flung the demon far away. And the blood from his body had sprinkled on to the hermitage and the sacrificial area of a sage called Matanga.
And Matanga Rishi, he appreciated the fact that Vali had killed a demon. But he disapproved Vali’s boastful nature. And in his boastfulness, how he had spilled blood and desecrated the sacred arena of the sacrifice.
So, in order to curb Vali’s pride, he cursed him. That if you come in the area of Kishkindha, then you will fall dead. Now, although Vali was very powerful, he knew his limitations.
He knew that the curses of the sages were far more powerful than the military strength of the warriors. So, he did not enter into Kishkindha. And then Ram and Sugriva formed an alliance.
And then Sugriva told his whole sad story of what had happened. Hanuman acted as a medium for their alliance to be formed. But eventually, Sugriva decided to… Then Ram said, I will ensure that this grievous injustice that has been done to you be corrected.
Now, Sugriva had tried amicable resolution. But he had realized that Vali was so judgmental that it was impossible. And when somebody has power, one thinks that that power not only makes me right, but I have the right to do whatever I want.
That’s how power intoxicates sometimes. So then Sugriva, Vali decided that Ram decided that Vali has to be punished. Now, what Vali had done, he had not only unfairly dispossessed, not only unfairly labeled Sugriva as a traitor, he had also dispossessed him of everything.
He had driven him out in the forest for no crime at all, without any fair trial. And not only had he lost all his wealth and his fortune as a prince in the royal family, but actually Vali had also taken Sugriva’s wife and he was living with her as if she were his wife. And this was a grievous crime.
So when Ram heard about this, he said Vali must be punished. And he told Sugriva that you go and challenge him for a fight. And I will shoot him while the two of you are fighting.
So Sugriva challenged Vali and they had a fight. And Vali was more powerful and he bet Sugriva. Sugriva fought gallantly but he bet and bet.
Now because both of them look very similar in the first round, actually Ram could not identify who was who. And so Sugriva had to bet a hasty retreat eventually. But then Lakshman put a garland around Sugriva to have him recognized properly.
And that garland also represented the blessings of Lakshmana. And then when he went to fight, next time when Vali was again beaten by Sugriva, Vali was about to deliver the fatal blow. Vali was soaring above the prostrate Sugriva.
At that time Lord Ram shot an arrow and that arrow sounded like a devastating thunderbolt as it pierced through the air and thudded into the chest of Vali. And Vali fell on the ground. As that arrow pierced him, he knew that this was a fatal blow.
He looked around to see who could have so grievously violated the codes of conduct of fighting. When he was fighting with someone else, who had dared to attack him like this without any warning at all. And when he saw Ram, he was shocked.
He said, Oh Ram, now he was in great pain because of the wound, but more than the pain was his rage. He says, Oh Ram, you are supposed to be virtuous. Or how have you so viciously attacked me when I was engaged in a fair combat with another? Indeed you have lost all sense of virtue you have brought infamy to the great Raghu dynasty, to the great kingdom of Ayodhya.
And he ranted on like this. Ram remained silent. He came right next to him and placed his bow next to him on the ground holding it.
He said, Oh monkey, it is said that when Vali finally fell silent, he exhausted of his anger as well as his energy with the pain of the arrow. At that time Ram said, Oh monkey, it is said that with the depletion of bodily energy, often mental energy also, intellectual energy also decreases. That has happened with you.
You accuse me of unfairness, but can you not see what unfairness you have done to your virtuous brother? That brother who always served you like a faithful servant, putting aside all royal privilege, he always was with you. That brother, you drove him out of the kingdom, making him a fugitive, treating him like a criminal without giving him a fair hearing. Not only that, you not only stole his property, you stole away his wife also.
And Ram spoke for a long time. He said, A person who steals someone else’s property is a thief. A person who steals someone else’s wife, even greater thief.
You have acted as a terrible thief. And according to the sacred code of the scripture, a thief like this should be punished and killed. And there is no sin incurred in killing such a thief.
So, I am a responsible member of the Yodhya dynasty. The Yodhya kings are the rulers of the earth. And they have to take the responsibility of correcting injustice wherever it may have happened.
And currently Bharat is ruling the kingdom and I am his servant. So, see Lord Ram’s conviction, his humility. He is not saying that I have given the kingdom to Bharat.
He is saying that Bharat is ruling the kingdom and I am his servant. And as his servant, I have to correct injustices. So, you did a great injustice against Sugriva and I have corrected that now.
And now Sugriva had a boon that whoever came in front of him to fight with him, that person’s power, half of that power would come to Sugriva. Vali had an addiction that anyone who would come to fight with him, half of that person’s power would come over to Vali. And that’s why Vali would always be more powerful than his opponent.
So, now that is also an additional reason of curse. Now, when Vali heard this, now actually with the pain in his chest, burning his chest, his pride had become a little curled. And for the first time, he saw the picture of the events that had transpired from a perspective other than his own.
And deep remorse struck his heart. Rather than feeling angry at Ram for having killed him in a supposedly unfair way, he realized that Ram had actually meted justice. He would have had to suffer grievously for the injustice which he had done to his brother.
And now he realized that Ram had punished him and just saved him from the suffering which would have awaited him later for the injustice that he had done to Sugriva. And now Sugriva was not a power-hungry king who wanted to usurp the king and grab power. When Sugriva saw his venerable brother fallen like this, even his animosity went away and tears came in his eyes.
And the two brothers looked at each other. A long life had been wasted because of misunderstanding. And Angada and Tara, when they heard about Wali’s fall, they came running out along with the other residents of the Vanara kingdom.
And as they came out, they fell at his feet, crying, Oh, hero, what has happened to you? Wali spoke words of comfort to them. He told them, he told Angada, now Sugriva will be our king and serve Sugriva the way you have served me. And he told Tara also that stay under the care of Wali, stay under the care of Sugriva.
And then he turned towards, before that he spoke to Ram, he says, your words are enlightening. And then Ram spoke to him that if you still feel that what I have done is wrong, tell me and I will forthwith give you back your life. Not only will I take out the arrow, I will give you back your health and your life.
So Wali was very remorseful. And he said, no, my lord. He says, the soul goes through many lives and the soul dies many times.
He says, lives will come again and again. But a death like this in your presence is very rare. I am blessed that I will be able to die in your presence.
And dying in your presence means that I will attain an auspicious destination. So I seek forgiveness for having accused you unfairly. And he turned towards Sugriva.
And he said, oh brother, please forgive me for the wrong that I have done. And then Wali took out his own necklace. Now that arrow which had pierced into his body was so powerful that it could have taken Wali’s life instantly.
It should have taken Wali’s life instantly. But Wali had been given a special necklace by Indra. And that necklace which had been given by Indra, that necklace, as long as a person wore that necklace, that person would not die.
So that’s why although his life arrow was passed ebbing away and he was fatally wounded, he was still alive and able to talk. But now he realized that he had got emotional closures. And now he wanted the final closure.
So he had asked for forgiveness from Sugriva. But he knew that just words were not enough. So now he took out the necklace which was his protection in life.
And naturally a father would have given that to his son. You know, that would have made Angada practically invincible. But Wali realized that for the wrong that he had done, just words were not enough.
Now when there is repentance, it should not just be in apology. It should be also rectificatory action. And as a rectificatory action, what did Wali do? He took out his necklace and he handed it to Sugriva.
He said, wear this. And as soon as Sugriva was very grief-struck, but he accepted that gift. And as soon as the necklace left Wali’s body, Wali fell dead.
So then Sugriva felt very grief-struck. He said, alas, what have I done? He said, my brother, he gave me his own necklace which was guarding his life. And what did I do? I took his life.
I schemed to take his life. He said, I think I should also light a funeral pyre and die in that funeral pyre. So Ram spoke words of comfort and wisdom to the grieving Sugriva.
He told him that your grief is natural, but do not give in to that grief. He says, you are the ruler of the Vanaras. You have responsibilities to execute.
If you truly want to honor the memory of Wali, then do what he has told you to do. Do what he has told you to do. He said, take up the kingdom on his behalf.
Now, Lord Ram spoke these words of consolation even to Tara. And he said, as per your husband’s will, you should, after grieving for him, after the right period of mourning, should thereafter stay under the shelter of Sugriva. So, now, at one level it may seem that did Sugriva do the same thing as Wali did? You know, Sugriva lived with Wali’s wife.
No, there is a big difference. You know, Wali took away Sugriva’s wife and Sugriva was still alive. And he took it away against Sugriva’s will.
Took her away against Sugriva’s will. So, that was almost like incest for an elder brother to live with his younger brother’s wife. But, whereas, when Sugriva, what happened was, Wali had died.
So, now, Tara was a widow. And beyond that, also, Tara was, Sugriva, Wali had himself asked Tara to live under the care of Sugriva. And that’s why what Sugriva did was his Kshatriya duty as a protector of the women in his family.
And as king’s duty, as a protector of the women in his race. So, it was very different situation. But, anyway, Sugriva was not a power hungry king.
He actually dreamed terribly and then he arranged for a royal funeral for Wali. And he himself carried the funeral pyre. And in that way, he honoured the fallen king.
So, the important point for us is that Wali truly repented. Sometimes, when we judge, we make some mistakes in judgment. And any kind of mistakes we make.
After that, we think, I’ll just say sorry and things will be settled. Sorry is the beginning. Apologizing, saying sorry is the beginning of correcting things.
That is not the end of the mistake. After that, we have to show that we are sorry through our actions. If we have done some wrong to somebody, we try to rectify it in the best way possible.
Now, he knew, Wali knew that all the years that Sugriva had lost, living in fear, being persecuted, living as a pauper in a forest. He could not give him those years back. Those years were gone.
What he could do was ensure that Sugriva had a long life ahead. And that long life he could ensure by giving him this necklace. So that way, if we realize that we have made a mistake and we have to correct it, we should find out intelligently, honestly, what can I do to correct the wrong that I have done.
And when we do that action for rectification, then the repentance is real. Thank you. Hare Krishna.