Kishkindha Kanda, Sarga 16

Meaning

Vālī reproached the aforesaid Tārā, who was speaking as stated before and whose countenance shone brightly as the moon, the suzerain lord of the stars, and replied as follows : (1)

Meaning

“Wherefore shall I tolerate the arrogance of this younger brother of mine, particularly when he is hostile to me—thundering, as he does, O lady of charming countenance? (2)

Meaning

“Toleration of intrusion by the enemy on the part of heroes, who have never been overpowered and have never retreated in combats, is worse than death, O timid one ! (3)

Meaning

“Nay, I am not able to tolerate the arrogance, much less the roar, of the weak-necked Sugrīva, who seeks an encounter on the battlefield with me. (4)

Meaning

“Nor should any anxiety be entertained by you from the side of Śrī Rāma on my account. How can Śrī Rāma—who knows what is right and cognizes his duty—perpetrate sin (in the form of killing one who is innocent)? (5)

Meaning

“Please return with the other ladies. Why do you still follow me? Affection has been shown to such an extent and service rendered to me by you. (6)

Meaning

“Going out I shall give battle to Sugrīva; pray, give up all perplexity. Nay, I shall take away his pride, yet he will not be rid of his life. (7)

Meaning

“So long as he stays on the battlefield I shall do what is sought by him. Tormented with the strokes of trees and the blows of my fists, he will retreat. (8)

Meaning

“The evil-minded fellow will not be able to withstand my haughtiness and tempo. Assistance by way of friendly advice and sage counsel has been rendered and affection shown to me by you, O Tārā ! (9)

Meaning

“You are hereby, adjured by my life: pray, return with your retinue; while I shall return only after conquering my said brother in an encounter.’’ (10)

Meaning

Embracing the aforesaid Vālī, Tārā for her part, who spoke agreeable words and was favourably disposed towards him, went clockwise round him (as a token of farewell and respect), gently weeping. (11)

Meaning

Having performed a religious rite called Swastyayana (which consists in scattering boiled rice on the ground and invoking blessings by the repetition of certain Mantras), Tārā, who was conversant with sacred texts pronounced on such occasions and desired victory for her husband, thereupon returned to the gynaeceum with the other ladies, dumbfounded as she was with grief. (12)

Meaning

When Tārā had entered her apartments with the other ladies, Vālī for his part sallied forth from his capital, hissing like a large angry serpent. (13)

Meaning

Breathing heavily, full of rage, the aforesaid Vālī, who was possessed of great impetuosity, stood casting his glance on all sides with intent to have a look at his adversary. (14)

Meaning

The glorious Vālī thereupon saw Sugrīva, reddish brown as gold, tightly clothed below the loins, firmly rooted and glowing as fire. (15)

Meaning

Seeing the aforesaid Sugrīva standing firm nearby, the celebrated Vālī, who was endowed with mighty arms and was highly irascible, tightened his loin-cloth. (16)

Meaning

Raising his fist, the aforesaid Vālī, who was tightly clothed below the loins and full of vigour, and felt rejoiced (to have secured an opportunity to fight), proceeded precisely against Sugrīva to give battle to him. (17)

Meaning

Raising his clenched fist at full length and duly aiming it at Vālī, who was adorned with a chain of gold and was highly excited, Sugrīva too came up. (18)

Meaning

To the aforesaid Sugrīva, whose eyes were red with anger and who was skilled in the art of fighting and was rushing with great impetuosity, Vālī spoke as follows : (19)

Meaning

“This mighty fist, tightly closed with its fingers properly set will, when flung with force by me, return only after taking your life.” (20)

Meaning

Enraged when spoken as aforesaid by Vālī, Sugrīva for his part replied to Vālī, “Let this fist too descend on your head, taking away your life instantly.” (21)

Meaning

Enraged when struck by Vālī, who assailed him with impetuosity, Sugrīva vomited blood and looked like a mountain containing a cascade. (22)

Meaning

Forcibly tearing up a sal tree, Vālī too was fearlessly smitten on his limbs by Sugrīva even as a big mountain were struck with lightning. (23)

Meaning

Crushed under the weight of the tree and overpowered by being beaten with a sal, Vālī began to shake like a bark full of passengers and pressed by the heavy weight of its load in a sea. (24)

Meaning

The two brothers—who were endowed with terrible might and prowess and possessed the agility of Garuḍa (the carrier of Lord Viṣṇu), nay, who were engaged in a grim fight, were possessed of fearful bodies and capable of destroying the enemy and were intent on finding out the vulnerable points of each other—resembled the moon and the sun in the sky. Thereupon Vālī, for his part, who was richly endowed with strength and valour, gained the upper hand; while Sugrīva, son of the sun-god, even though possessed of extraordinary might, lost ground. Full of indignation towards Vālī, Sugrīva whose vanity was shattered by Vālī and whose strength grew feeble, becked Śrī Rāma about his failing strength. A terrible combat, resembling that between the demon Vṛtra and Indra, now ensued between the two brothers, who fought with trees including their branches, mountain-tops, their claws, which were as cutting as millions of diamonds, fists, knees, feet and arms repeatedly. (25—29)

Meaning

Threatening each other with loud noise, the aforesaid two monkeys, who roamed about in the forest and stood smeared with blood, contended like a pair of clouds. (30)

Meaning

The celebrated Śrī Rāma (a scion of Raghu) presently beheld Sugrīva, a lord of monkeys, getting weaker and looking intently in all directions again and again. (31)

Meaning

Seeing Sugrīva (a ruler of monkeys) afflicted, the aforesaid Śrī Rāma, a hero as he was, thereupon surveyed his arrow with intent to make short work of Vālī. (32)

Meaning

Putting the arrow, which resembled a venomous serpent, to the bow, Śrī Rāma then stretched the aforesaid arrow at full length even as the god of death would lift his wheel for the destruction of the world. (33)

Meaning

Scared by the twang of the bow-string and bewildered as at the end of the world cycle, the foremost of birds flew and deer too ran helter-skelter. (34)

Meaning

When discharged with a sound resembling the crash of thunder, the mighty arrow, which shone brightly like a dazzling flash of lightning, was shot by Śrī Rāma (a scion of Raghu) at the breast of Vālī. (35)

Meaning

Struck with vehemence by the arrow, Vālī, the mighty ruler of monkeys, who was endowed with extraordinary energy, thereupon fell flat on the earth’s surface. (36)

Meaning

Struck down on the earth’s surface on the full moon day (at the end of summer) as a flag hoisted in honour of Indra (the god of rain) in the month of Āświna (corresponding roughly to the month of September), Vālī for his part fell lustreless and unconscious, slowly uttering a cry of pain, his throat fully choked with tears. (37)

Meaning

Śrī Rāma, the foremost of men, discharged the fiery arrow, the foremost of arrows, decked with gold and silver at the end, nay, capable of crushing the enemy and terrible like the period of universal destruction, even as Lord Śiva (the Destroyer of the universe) emited fire with smoke from the third eye on his forehead to destroy Kāmadeva. (38)

Meaning

Nay, bathed in jets of blood and water and looking like an Aśoka tree laden with flowers and uprooted by a storm, Vālī (son of Indra), fell unconscious to the ground like a flag hoisted in honour of Indra* (the ruler of gods) and then thrown down. (39)