The Trial of Rama

Yama (the Bailiff):  All rise for the honorable Judge Brahma.  [Brahma enters and takes his place at the bench]

Brahma (The Judge):  Be seated.  The court is ready to hear opening remarks in the case of the People versus Ramachandra, Seventh Incarnation of Vishnu.  Prosecutor Ganesha, you may begin.

Ganesha:  Very well, Your Honor.  Lords and ladies of the jury, it is with great displeasure that I levy these charges against the defendant.  Rama is a friend to many of you.  I know well of your love for him, and his noble deeds are known to all.  However, I implore you to remember your duty here today.  I will show that Rama was guilty of an egregious act of injustice, Adharma.  You will learn that Rama murdered the monkey king, Vali, without sufficient cause and without offering a chance for peaceful resolution.  Moreover, it was Rama who ambushed Vali, the noble king of Kishkinda.  It was Rama who chose to sneak from the bushes and attack Vali while he was already in battle with another.  Finally, it was Rama who fired his arrow into the heart of this same monkey king, striking him dead.

Brahma:  These are vey serious charges, Ganesha.  I trust you have evidence.

Ganesha:  Indeed, I do, Your Honor. 

Brahma:  Let the defendant rise.  [Rama stands]  Faced with this charge of Adharma by way of wrongful killing, how does the defendant plead?

Rama (The Defendant): Not guilty, Your Honor.

Brahma:  Very well.  The prosecution will proceed with its argument.

Ganesha:  I present prosecution Exhibit A, the arrow that killed Vali.  [Ganesha produces an arrow.  The Bailiff, Yama, takes it from him to be recorded as evidence.] 

Yama:  The arrow, indeed, bears the inscription of Rama.

Ganesha:  I have witnesses as well, Your Honor.  In fact, I have several who are prepared to testify that it was Rama who...

Garuda (Counsel for the Defense): [Interrupting] It is not disputed that my client shot the arrow which killed the Kishkindha king, Your Honor.  In fact, if it pleases the court, we are prepared to concede that Rama did both shoot that arrow and do so from a hidden location while Vali was in combat with his brother, Sugreeva. 

Brahma:  If this is not disputed, then we need not hear testimony to that effect.  But, if the defense does not dispute these claims, then on what grounds does the defendant enter a plea of Not Guilty?

Garuda:  On the grounds that the killing was justified and in accordance with Dharma, Your Honor. 

Brahma:  Present your argument, counselor.

Garuda:  I submit the deposition of Vali, himself.  It was submitted here in Heaven, after his passing.

Brahma:  Let it be read for the court.
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The Deposition of Vali, former King of Kishkindha:

I, Vali hereby swear that the following statement is true:

    It was a sunny day in Kishkindha, and I heard that my brother Sugreeva had come down from his hiding place on Rishyamuka Hill for the purpose of challenging me to a fight.  Sugreeva and I had been at odds over an incident that had happened about a year earlier.  I had taken a challenge from a beast called Mayavi and eventually had chased the monster into a cave.  I chased him for a very long while and eventually caught and killed him.  However, when I found my way back to the mouth of the cave, I discovered that it had been walled up!  I was furious at my brother for allowing me to be sealed into the cave, and I really thought he was trying to usurp my throne.  So, I busted the wall down with a kick of my foot and headed toward Kishkindha to reclaim what was mine. 

    As I approached, I saw Sugreeva sitting with my circle of advisors, and I just lost it.  I started slapping him and punching him and calling him all sorts of names.  Then, what really set me off was when he dared to raise a hand against me.  He was mumbling something about being sorry, but he raised his arm to throw a punch!  So, I kicked him squarely in the jaw and threatened to kill him.  I know that this was wrong, since he had been a good brother up to this time, but an usurper who would dare to fight his king is bound to die according to the laws of our land. 

    Sugreeva ran off to Rishyamuka Hill, a place that I dare not go.  So I took his possessions, since all he had was given to him by me anyway.  His wife had no place to live and wanted to go to Sugreeva on the hill.  I figured he'd come back if I kept her there in the castle.  Now, I'm not saying I didn't sleep with her, because I did, but, I could justify that to myself since we're monkeys, and that's our way.  To monkeys, It's just like slinging poop.  We do it because we're impulsive creatures. 

    Anyway, when I learned that Sugreeva was coming to fight me, I laughed.  I was a much stronger fighter and had the blessings of the gods for a deed I had performed for them long ago.  My wife figured that he had something up his sleeve, and she warned me that Rama was in the area.  I just knew Rama wouldn't attack me, seeing that I was a noble warrior, as was he.  Sure enough, I should've listened to her.  Sugreeva and I began our fight, and I was just seconds from killing him when, out of nowhere, an arrow pierced my chest.  I was shocked when I looked down and saw the name Rama inscribed on it. 

Rama approached, and I questioned him with my last breaths of life.  Why?  What did I do to deserve this?  Well, he told me that I was accountable to a higher morality than other monkeys, because of my intellect.  He said that taking Sugreeva's wife and trying to kill Sugreeva were unjust acts, punishable by death.  I had not looked at it that way before, but it suddenly made total sense to me.  In fact, with my very last words, I looked to my son, Angada, and said, "Son.  Don't be the fool that I have been.  Love and help Rama."
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Garuda:  Your Honor, as you can see, even Vali, himself, has determined that Rama did no wrong.  In fact, he credits Rama with helping him to understand his own foolishness.  Surely, there is no necessity to continue this trial.

Brahma:  Counselor Ganesha, have you anything to say?

Ganesha:  Yes, Your Honor.  The defense withdraws the charge of Adharma against Ramachandra.
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Author's Note:

I read two versions of this story.  In Narayan's version, Vali argued with Rama about his justification for killing him.  However, at the end of the argument, Vali came to agree that it was justified.  In fact, he thanked Rama for saving him by forcing him to see his wrong ways.  In the other version, there was not so much discussion between Rama and Vali, but Vali realized that his own anger had caused his demise.  He told his son to follow and help Rama.  In my version, Vali's conclusion that Rama had aided him convinces the prosecutor to drop the case. 

There was a controversial issue in the original versions that I chose not to emphasize.  Rama hid behind a tree while he waited to fire his arrow at Vali.  This was a dishonorable way of fighting.  Narayan's version explains that Vali had the power to take half of his opponent's strength when he faced them in battle.  So, it could be argued that Rama's hiding was the only means of defeating Vali.  Moreover, there is a recurring theme in the Ramayana that deals with sneak tactics in battle.  It's not uncommon for the protagonists to use stealth to win.  However, this only seems to happen when necessary due to the opponent's might. 

Another important thing to mention about Vali is that he had been granted great strength by the gods for performing a feat for them, although in my version I did not give the details.  Long ago, he had used a mountain to churn the ocean, thereby obtaining ambrosia, which the gods consumed to gain eternal life.  This is  important because it is evidence that Vali was not merely a villain.  Furthermore, he had been a good king in most ways, protecting his people and governing them to prosperity. 

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Image Source Rama Ambushes Vali at SVZoo

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