What’s fair in war and vengeance?

The twists and turns in the Dharmasthala case seem to leave us with no hope of a clear resolution, with varying eyewitness accounts and ongoing cases.

The one thing that decidedly does not help, though, is everyone muddying the waters with new conspiracy theories and forwards. If our epic tales teach us anything, it is that we are far beyond understanding our own circumstances, let alone complex allegations and crimes of one kind or the other.

This brings me to the story of Vali, the powerful Vanara king known for his might. There was once a rakshasa by the name of Dundubhi. Like a lot of people you may know today, Dundubhi was always itching for a fight. Once, he walked into the ocean and told it that he wished to battle it. The ocean replied that it was not up to the challenge and suggested that he try asking the Himalayas instead.

And so, Dundubhi went straight to the Himalayas. “I’d like to test my strength out against yours, mighty mountain!” he announced. The mountain refused, sending him back to battle Vali instead. So Dundubhi came marching to Kishkindha, even taking on the form of a buffalo, while Vali was relaxing with his queens and some wine. Vali rushed out, charging at the buffalo, which was disturbing the peace, and flung him far away, killing him. You might think it was rather idiotic of Dundubhi to get himself killed, but Vali still got into trouble. The carcass of Dundubhi ended up falling in the sage Matanga’s hermitage. Matanga was furious at the defilement that Vali caused, and cursed him to die if he ever set foot in the hermitage.

This would all be fine – all Vali had to do was to stay away from the hermitage. But Dundubhi had a son, Mayavi, who challenged Vali to battle to avenge his father’s death. Clearly, he had learnt no lessons about peace. Vali had also learnt no lessons about being rash and chased Mayavi into a cave. Vali’s brother, Sugriva, accompanied him to the cave, where Vali instructed him to guard the cave. Vali and Mayavi fought for days, then weeks, then months, until over a year passed, when Sugriva heard an agonised cry that sounded like his brother, and saw blood gush out of the cave. He decided that Vali must be dead and to safeguard the kingdom from Mayavi, closed the mouth of the cave with a rock. Then he returned and took over the kingdom, as well as Vali’s wife. Meanwhile, Vali had actually killed Mayavi and tried to exit the cave, only to find it blocked. Finally, Vali managed to kick the rock blocking the entrance and came out, only to find Sugriva ruling the kingdom. He was furious with Sugriva, and Sugriva made a quick escape to the mountains near Matanga’s hermitage, where Vali would not dare to look for him.

Then, Sugriva struck up a friendship with Rama, who needed help locating Sita, and in exchange for this favour, Rama agreed to kill Vali. When Sugriva called Vali out for battle, Vali was warned that Sugriva had powerful friends now, but he believed that Rama would not intervene in the battle since he had not wronged him in any way. But as we know, Rama killed Vali. What does this have to do with anything?

There is an interesting legend that points to a parallel. Sugriva is the son of Surya, the sun god, in the Ramayana. Karna is the son of Surya in the Mahabharata. Vali is the son of Indra in the Ramayana, and Arjuna is the son of Indra in the Mahabharata. Rama, Vishnu incarnate, helps Sugriva kill Vali. Then, as Krishna, he helps Arjuna kill Karna, the secret firstborn of Kunti, and Arjuna’s older brother. Was it unfair to Karna to have to die? Well, which story should we decide based on? The one where Karna was abandoned and ridiculed all his life, and killed at a vulnerable moment by breaking the rules of war? The one where Karna insulted Draupadi? Or the one where he, as Sugriva, conspired to kill Vali?

If you’re unsure, as am I, it is a good thing that we don’t claim to know the absolute truth about the latest political controversy based on watching a few angry news anchors every day, is it not?

The writer is the author of How to Love in Sanskrit and likes writing new things about very old things.

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author's own. They do not necessarily reflect the views of DH.