Chapter 3.8 - The story of Bali (Monkey characters, part 2)

Bali was the King of Kishkindha. He was the elder brother of Sugriva. Both the brothers grew under the care and protection of Ahalya Devi in the Gautamashrama. Lord Indra had granted the Monkey King Riksharajas these two as his sons.^[1]

During the Churning of the Milk Ocean (Samundra Manthana) when the Daityas were defeated, the devas gave a beautiful woman named Tara as a present to Bali. From Tara, Bali got a son named Angada. After the death of Riksharajas, Bali became the king of Kishkindha.^[2]

Asura Mayavi, who was the son of the Asura Sculptor Maya, challenged Bali for a fight. Bali was ready to follow the Asura into a cave and then Bali told his brother Sugriva like this. “If the Asura dies in the fight, there will be milk at the entrance of the cave and if Bali dies there will be blood there. If you see blood at the entrance of the cave, close the entrance and immediately return to Kishkindha and reign there happily.

Even after one year, Bali did not return. Because of the sorcery done by the Asura, blood appeared at the entrance of the cave. Sugriva then thought that Bali was killed and so he returned to Kishkindha and reigned as the king there. However Bali returned later, stronger than before, and he misunderstood Sugriva. Sugriva became afraid of Bali and fled from the place and sought shelter in the Mountain called Rishyamukacala (Rishyamuka-acala).^[3]

Valmiki tries to convince his readers that the assassination of Bali was a punishment inflicted upon him for his immoral conduct of treating Ruma, the wife of Sugriva as his mistress, after the banishment of her husband from the country.

Rama got into an alliance with Sugriva purely for selfish reasons and killed Bali. Even when Rama says that he killed Bali because he had taken Ruma, the wife of his brother Sugriva, as his mistress we don’t understand what Rama did not get angry with Sugrivan who committed the same mistake as Bali did later. After the assassination of Bali, Sugriva took Tara, the wife of Bali, as his own wife.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Kamba Ramayana Purvakanda

[2]:

Ibid

[3]:

Valmiki Ramayana IV.10