Ashish Joshi
IN the great Hindu epic The Ramayana, Bali was the king of Kishkindha, and the elder brother of Sugriva. He was famous for a boon that he had received, according to which anyone who came before him for a fight lost half his strength to Bali. This in effect made him invincible to any enemy. He was a brave and courageous king, travelling the length and breadth of his country before dawn to pay homage to Surya, the sun god. When he returned to his palace, he was as fresh as when he started out. He was married to Tara.
Bali had developed a hatred for Sugriva when the latter had sealed the entrance of a cave in which Bali had been fighting a demon named Mayavi. Sugriva thought the blood flowing out from beneath the cave was his brother’s; he sealed the cave with rocks and fled back to the palace. When Sugriva had defeated the demon, he found the entrance to the cave blocked. When he finally reached his palace, he found Sugriva sitting on the throne. Sugriva tried to explain the situation to his brother but the enraged Bali would not listen.
As a result, Sugriva had to flee the kingdom, leaving behind his wife Ruma, who was claimed by Bali. In the forest, Sugriva ran into Rama and Lakshmana; Rama would later help him kill Bali and restore him to the throne.
Sugriva is terrified of Bali and doubts whether Rama can defeat him, given Bali’s strength and the nature of his boon. He tells Rama many stories of Bali’s incredible strength. He shows Rama a hole in a sal tree which Bali had pierced with one shot. In response, Rama draws his bow and shoots an arrow clean through seven sal trees. Sugriva is now left in no doubt of Rama’s power and capability.
Rama asks Sugriva to challenge Bali to a fight and bring him outside Kishkindha. He does this as he does not want any unnecessary bloodbath and wishes to maintain friendly relations with Bali’s army. When Sugriva and Bali are standing face to face in the forest, Rama fires an arrow from behind a tree, felling Bali. A dying Bali asked Rama if this was fair on his part. Rama explains to him the virtue of treating a younger brother, even though he may have erred. This is how Bali met his end. Sugriva ascended to the throne and claimed his wife Ruma back.
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