Killing of Bali

Hanumanji carried both Lord Sri Rama and Lakshmana on his shoulders to Rishyamukachala.

Sugreeva was relieved when he saw Hanumanji bringing the two strangers on his shoulders. 'Okay, they are not enemies,' he thought. He had suspected that they were enemies sent by Bali.

Sugreeva welcomed them with due respect. He spread tender leaves on the ground for them to sit.

A very interesting thing happened. Hanumanji noticed that Lakshmana was not sitting down. Lakshmana had so much respect for his elder brother that he would not sit together with him on the same seat, at the same level. Hanumanji prepared a separate seat for Lakshmana with leaves.

Hanumanji formally introduced Lord Rama to Sugreeva—explaining that he is an avatara of Parama Purusha Paramatma, who has taken birth in the vamsha of Dasaratha, which even Ravana fears. Later, he introduced Sugreeva as the king of Kishkindha.

Lord Rama addressed him, 'Friend, why are you here?' He called him a friend.

Hanumanji said Sugreeva would become all the more confident if they pledged this friendship in the presence of Agni. Sugreeva did not know Lord Rama as well as Hanumanji did. Also, because of what he had gone through—his own brother becoming his enemy and looking for an opportunity to finish him—he was filled with doubt.

Hanumanji knew that when Lord Rama called someone 'friend,' it meant friendship forever because untruth would never come from the Lord.

The Lord said, 'Okay, let’s do that.'

For the Lord, saying it in plain words once and making a formal pledge in the presence of Agni were one and the same. But if it could build confidence in Sugreeva and assure him, why not? The pledge was done.

The Lord started narrating how he came to the forest for 14 years, how everything was fine for 13 years, and how, in the 14th year, someone had kidnapped Seetha Devi.

Sugreeva went inside and came back with a bundle. He opened it, and inside were ornaments. Sugreeva said, 'Once, I was sitting on the peak of this mountain. At that time, I saw Ravana going through the sky with a woman. She was crying aloud. When she saw me, she said her name was Seetha and bundled a few of her ornaments in a cloth and dropped them down.'

The Lord became very upset upon hearing this. He could not even look at those ornaments. He told Lakshmana to verify them.

Lakshmana said, 'I have never even looked at her face once. How can I recognize her earrings, nose ornaments, or necklace? My eyes have always been at her feet. I can recognize her noopura, which she wears around her ankles.'

Lakshmana looked at the ornaments and immediately recognized Seetha Mata's noopura.

Sugreeva said, 'Ravana is a mayavi. We do not know where he could have hidden Seetha Mata. I will send my soldiers all around to search for her immediately.'

Then the Lord asked Sugreeva, 'Tell me, being the king of Kishkindha, how did you end up here, on this mountain?'

Sugreeva narrated everything that had happened.

The Lord said, 'Do not worry. When I am with you, nothing wrong can ever happen to you. You do not have to be afraid of anyone.'

Sugreeva had a lot of doubt in him. He was seeing Lord Rama for the first time. If not for Hanumanji's testimony, he would not have known anything about the Lord. The Lord could sense this.

Dundhubi’s skeleton was still lying there in Rishyamukachala. The Lord got up and, with the thumb of his foot, just pushed it down. With a loud thud, the earth split open, and the skeleton collapsed and disappeared. It was so huge, and yet, with just his foot, the Lord had pushed it down.

Sugreeva was an obstinate doubter. He said, 'But when Bali lifted him and threw him, there was a lot of flesh and blood. It was much heavier.'

Hanumanji kept silent. He should have been offended, but he was not. Sugreeva had to gain confidence. He had to be brought out of his shell.

Sugreeva said, 'See these seven huge palm trees here? Bali used to shake them violently to make the fruits fall from them. Once, a rishi was disturbed by this. He said that anyone who can pass an arrow through all these seven trees in a single shot will kill Bali.'

The palm trees were standing in a semi-circle. The Lord took out his bow and arrow, and in one shot, the arrow passed through all seven trees and returned to his quiver.

Seeing this, Sugreeva realized why the quivers of both Rama and Lakshmana had only five arrows each—their arrows always returned after hitting the target.

Now, the Lord said, 'Go and challenge Bali to a fistfight. I will protect you.'

But when the fight started, the Lord could not distinguish between Sugreeva and Bali—they both looked alike. Bali literally crushed Sugreeva.

Sugreeva came back running, 'You said you would protect me! What is this? Where were you?'

The Lord gave him a garland that he was wearing and told him to wear it around his neck. That would help in distinguishing between the two.

This time, the Lord finished Bali with a single arrow.

Why did the Lord not fight Bali himself? Because Bali did not deserve it. He had kept his brother’s wife captive. He did not deserve any such honor.

Why did the Lord send Sugreeva back with his own garland? That was a warning—'Your death has arrived, in the form of the Lord. Your punishment for your wrongdoing has arrived.'

Bali should have realized this, surrendered, and apologized. But before his prana left his body, he repented. He said, 'Please take care of my son, Angada.'

The Lord could not go to Kishkindha because he was not supposed to move out of the forest—it was vanavasa.

Lakshmana went and ensured that Sugreeva was put back on the throne and that Angada was made Yuva Raja.

Ramaswamy Sastry and Vighnesh Ghanapaathi