When Ram and Sugriva are introduced by Hanuman, Sugriva shows Ram jewels that he and his monkeys had found on the forest floor. Ram recognizes them as Sita’s. Lakshman recognizes only Sita’s anklets for he had all his life seen only his sister-in-law’s feet—yet another indicator of Lakshman’s chaste character. By contrast, Sugriva informs Ram that his brother, Vali, has forced his wife, Ruma, to become part of his harem.

Vali subscribes to the law of the jungle and so uses force to drive his brother away and lays claim to all the land and even his brother’s wife. Even Ravana, by claiming Lanka by force, subscribes to the law of the jungle. Jungle law is known in Sanskrit as matsya nyaya or the law of fishes, where big fish eat the small fish. In the forest, the strong dominate the weak. By contrast, in the civilized world governed by dharma the weak need to be protected through laws. In a world of dharma, represented by Ayodhya, brothers share with each other. In the world of adharma, represented by Kishkindha and Lanka, brothers steal from each other.

Sugriva is eager to make friends with Ram. He offers to rescue Sita provided Ram kills Vali and makes him king of Kishkindha. It seems rather odd that Ram will stoop to such a transaction. Odder still is the way in which Vali is killed.

Death of Vali

Sugriva challenged Vali to a duel. The plan was that while Sugriva distracted his brother thus, Ram would shoot an arrow from behind the bushes and kill Vali. Unfortunately, when the two started fighting, Ram could not distinguish between the two brothers. Sugriva was thrashed and he ran back to Rishyamukha to save his life. When Ram explained what had happened, Sugriva with great reluctance agreed to challenge Vali once more to a fight, but this time he went with a garland of forest flowers round his neck. Vali, eager to kill his brother, pinned Sugriva to the ground and was about to snap his neck when Ram released his arrow that ripped through Vali’s chest. ‘Unfair. Unfair,’ cried Vali. Ram replied, ‘All this land that I walk upon is the land ruled by Bharata and in all the land ruled by Bharata there must be dharma. You, Vali, who believe might is right, do not subscribe to dharma and so must be killed. He who lives by the law of the jungle must not object when he is killed by the law of the jungle.’