Shloka 23
वालिवधः — Vālī’s Fall and Dharma-Accusation
Kiṣkindhā Sarga 17
विषये वा पुरे वा ते यदा पापं करोम्यहम्।न च त्वामवजाने च कस्मात्त्वं हंस्यकिल्बिषम्।।फलमूलाशनं नित्यं वानरं वनगोचरम्।मामिहाप्रतियुध्यन्तमन्येन च समागतम्।।
viṣaye vā pure vā te yadā pāpaṁ karomy aham |
na ca tvām avajāne ca kasmāt tvaṁ haṁsy akilbiṣam ||
phala-mūlāśanaṁ nityaṁ vānaraṁ vana-gocaram |
mām ihāpratiyudhyantam anyena ca samāgatam ||
Quand donc ai-je commis quelque faute dans ton royaume ou dans ta cité ? Je ne t’ai pas non plus offensé. Pourquoi alors veux-tu me tuer, moi qui suis sans faute, singe vivant toujours de fruits et de racines, errant dans la forêt ? Ici, je ne te combattais point ; j’étais aux prises avec un autre.
'You are a sinful man covered with the mask of piety thus resembling a hidden fire. I failed to recognise that righteousness is a mere pretext for you.
FAQs
Vāli appeals to just punishment: violence should be grounded in legitimate cause—offense, jurisdiction, and due ethical basis—otherwise it violates dharma and satya.
Dying, Vāli argues he neither harmed Rāma’s kingdom nor insulted him, and he was not fighting Rāma; therefore he questions the moral and political basis of Rāma’s intervention.
The virtue emphasized is justice as restraint: punishment (daṇḍa) must be proportionate and properly authorized, not driven by partiality or concealed methods.