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Vali Vadham 34

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Hari Krishnan • December 16, 2002 


These are my charges


You say you have not committed anything that is wrong.  Here are seven.  Number one.  'kollal utranai umbiyai.'  You attempted to kill your younger brother.  You did not stop your attempts in killing him, whenever it was possible for you to do so.  Two. 'kOdhu avarkku illai enbadhu uNarndhum irangalai.'  You did not take pity on him; show him mercy, even when you were aware that he was guileless.  Three.  'allal seyyEl unakku abayam pizhai pullal ennavum pullalai; ponginaai.'  He pleaded with you not to cause harm to him.  He said 'I surrender unto you.  Please bear with me even if what I did was wrong.'  But you did not listen to him.  You were blind with your rage and deaf because of your prejudice.

More over, you did not realise one vital thing.  'ootram utru udayaan unakku aar amar thOtrum' Sugriva had the military at his command then.  Even then he did not choose to fight with you.  He fell at your feet and begged for your acceptance.  'endru thozhudhu uyar kaiyanai nee kootram uNNak koduppen endru eNNinaai.'  He stood before you reverently with joined hands.  But you chose to kill him for no fault of him.

Four.  'anna thanmai arindum aruLalai.'  You were aware that he could have fought with you with the full strength of the army at his command, instead of submitting unto you.  But that did not stop you from coming to a wrong conclusion and you did not show any mercy to him.  The reader may recollect Vali's question 'irakkam engu uguthanai?'  Where have you shed your compassion?  'en paal ep pizhai kaNdaai appa?'  What was the fault that you found me guilty of?  Rama seems to ask, 'You are telling me that I have shed my compassion somewhere.  What compassion did you show to Sugriva, your younger brother?'

Five.  'pinnavan enbadhum pENalai.'  Let these be on one side.  You did not even think of him as your own brother, who was borne by the same womb that bore you and was fed by the same breasts that fed you.  'vannidhaan idu saaba varambu udaip pon malaikku avan naNNalin pOgalai.'  The fact that Sugriva is alive today is not due to your mercy.  It is because he ran into a place from which you were precluded from entering into, by the curse of Rishi Madhanga and you could not enter it for fear of your own death.  That is to say, 'You desisted from going there because you were afraid that you would lose your life otherwise.  That fear of death of yours should at least have enabled you to see how frightened Sugriva was, of you and of the inevitable death that followed him.  You failed to do so.'   

Six.  And this is a crime that cannot be tolerated.  'eeram aavadhum' It is part and purpose of love; 'ir pirappu aavadhum' it is the responsibility of one who is born of a respectable household and high parentage; 'kalviyin mei neri vaaram aavadhum' it is one of the aims and purposes of getting educated 'matru oruvan puNar thaaram thaaram aavadhaith thaangum tharukkum arO,' to take pride in protecting the modesty and chastity of a woman who is the wife of somebody else.  

You are supposed to protect the modesty of your younger brother's wife, in the name of love, for the sake of the respectability of your parentage and for the reason that you are educated.  What did you do?


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