Shloka 4.17.11
वालिवधः — Vālī’s Fall and Dharma-Accusation (Kiṣkindhā Sarga 17)
तं तदा पतितं सङ्ख्ये गतार्चिषमिवानलम्।बहुमान्य च तं वीर वीक्षमाणं शनैरिव।4.17.9।।ययातिमिव पुण्यान्ते देवलोकादिहच्युतम्। आदित्यमिव कालेन युगान्ते भुवि पातितम्।4.17.10।।महेन्द्रमिव दुर्धर्षंमुपेन्द्रमिव दुस्सहम्।महेन्द्रपुत्रं पतितं वालिनं हेममालिनम्।।4.17.11।।सिंहोरस्कं महाबाहुं दीप्तास्यं हरिलोचनम्।लक्ष्मणानुगतो रामो ददर्शोपससर्प च।।4.17.12।।
mahendram iva durdharṣam upendram iva dussaham |
mahendraputraṃ patitaṃ vālinaṃ hemamālinam ||4.17.11||
Vālī—the son of Mahendra, adorned with a golden garland—lay fallen: once unassailable like Indra, and formidable like Upendra.
Rama followed by Lakshmana slowly approached the longarmed, lionchested, brightfaced, tawnyeyed Vali, and admiringly observed this unchallengeable son of Indra, unassailable like Indra himself. Adorned with a golden necklace, he had fallen on the ground like fire without flame, like king Yayati descended on the earth from the celestial realm on the exhaustion of his merits, or like the Sun cast down on the earth at the end of the aeon.
Even divinely-endowed strength is not absolute; dharma and the moral order ultimately circumscribe power, reminding rulers and heroes to act within righteousness.
The poet continues describing the fallen Vālī, emphasizing his near-divine stature and the shock of his downfall.
Vālī’s extraordinary might and majesty are highlighted, intensifying the ethical gravity of the episode.