Kamba Ramayana A study 30, Vali and Sugriva

This episode is an aberration in Ramayana. Slaying Vali was politically expedient, though, against 'dharma'! For all his rectitude Vali had to be satisfied with salvation! He was magnanimous enough to attain that state by his own merit. So even Rama had to indulge in politics...Raghunath.

When Vali heard Sugirva's challenge his anger against his brother was such that.. 'he now appeared like the ocean boiling for the final deluge on the day of the dissolution. The mountain on which he stood shook..When he smacked his arm with his palm thunderbolts of heaven dropped down. The very hill on which he stood split into pieces. Even the god of death was terrified by his aspect....'

As he strode out to answer the challenge, his wife Tara tried to stop him. She tells him that while Sugriva alone cannot face him, he has now an ally strong enough to give him hope. Vali laughs and reminds her of his powers. It was entirely his strength  that moved the churning rod as asuras and devas tried to churn the sea of milk and adds, 'Even god of death  doth tremble at my name.'

But Tara tells him that she has heard that Ram is his brother's ally and 'who for his sake has sworn to end thy life to-day'. Vali who had heard so much of Rama's nobility that he had come to look upon him as an ideal hero does not believe her. In fact, he stops her from speaking and tells her 'knowst thou not Ram is born to show the way of virtue to the world that has forgotten dharam? But thou art a woman and hast in ignorance erred, thou should have died for this blashpemy....Can dharma falsify itself, that is born to save all living kind?'

Soon the two mighty brothers are at each other. While Rama is amazed at their strength, Lakshmana is sad to see them fight and wonders whether one who treats his brother as a foe could be trusted, 'what can be his loyalty to strangers, brother?'

As V V S Aiyer says, for once even Kamban's Rama speaks like a cynic. 'Can we  expect ideal morals from these foolish apes?....Wherever thou go, the lovers of virtue are few. We have to take men as they are, and brother is there a man of whom we can say "lo here is a man without a single flaw?"

As the fight continues Rama waiting behind the trees finds an opportunity and shoots Vali. A very surprised Vali pulls out the arrow as it bores into him and discovers from the markings on the stem that it belongs to Rama and as writhes in pain muses, 'perhaps this also may be an act of virtue, who knows?' .And he asked himself, 'If he swerves from the right what can we say of the common run of men? Verily he has acted worse than myself.' He had many questions for Rama and so would many, but finally is convinced, by Rama's arguments, that he deserved to die because of the unpardonable wrong he had done to his brother.

Vali was punished because he threw his brother out and stole his wife. Rama does not accept the argument that dharma was different for Vanaras  and reminds Vali that he is in fact son of Indra. And that he, Rama, has vowed to help the oppressed, the poor and the forlorn.

While there are no answers to the question why he hid behind a tree there are many reasons! The one given by Lakshamana is 'He feared that thou too, should he show his face to thee, might haply wish to save thyself and fall a suppliant at his feet...