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Ramanuja List Archive: Message 00061 Feb 2003

 
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Sri:
Srimathe Ramanujaya nama:

To fulfil a promise is an eternal virtue. But a doubt may be raised 
that the promise theory(Cf. IV.30.84. "prathi shrutham Dharmam 
avEkshya shAshvatham")only explains the killing of VAli but not the 
fact that SriRama killed VAli when he was engaged in a fight with 
another man and that too from behind a tree. This again could only be 
answered if we interpret the Valmikian law of Dharma as a relative 
principle of morality rather than a categorical imperative. SriRama 
tells VAli[Cf. IV.18.4,8]:

Dharmam arTham ca kAmam ca samayam cApi laukikam | 
avij~nAya kaTham bAlyAn mAm ihAdhya vigarhase ||
(not cognisant of virtue,interest,passion,time and custom,why do you 
blame me like a child?)

Here,"virtue,passion,custom,time" have been enumerated as the 
standards of moral judgements and all are true and right at a 
particular time,place and in particular circumstances. We can now see 
for ourselves whether SriRama's action was moral or immoral. We know 
that SriRama in his exile lost his beloved wife and his highest 
interest lay in making friendship with some kings with whose help he 
might be able to search out SIthA and punish the culprit. SriRama 
says,"I killed VAli and bestowed the kingdom on SugrIva only in the 
hope that SugrIva in return will help me"[Cf. IV.18.26; 29.18; 
30.73,77,84] 

If this be the case,then people may think that VAli was killed for a 
selfish motive. But self-love has been advocated as one of the 
important standards of morality[Cf. VI.9.14]. Secondly,SriRama wanted 
to free the world from the existence of such a man who ravishes the 
wives of others. Therefore,to annihilate the great evil from the face 
of the earth,he was morally justified to kill VAli by any means and 
seek the help of SugrIva to wipe off the greater evil. Again a 
question may be raised by asking why SriRama did not approach VAli 
for help. But SriRama realized that VAli,who was leading a happy and 
contended life, would not like to wage a war unnecessarily against a 
powerful king for the sake of an exiled Prince;so contacting VAli for 
help would be fruitless. SriRama realized that common adversities 
bring the sufferers near to each other and therefore he could 
naturally find allies in SugrIva and VibhIShaNa and not in VAli. 

It is the time,circumstances and interests which justified him in 
killing VAli engaged in fight with SugrIva from behind a tree. There 
is still another angle from which SriRama's action could be justified 
and which again expresses Valmikian ethical relativism and that is 
the viewpoint of Regal Duties or "rAja Dharma". RAja Dharma 
recognized four standards of action,all of which are morally right. 
They are sAma,dhAna,bhEdha,dhaNda. SriRama,who was a prince and 
dhEshakAlavith(cognisant of time and place)realized the sternness of 
royal duty(ugrathvam rAjaDharmAnam).

So SriRama,realizing that there is a difference between the 
brothers,seizes upon this opportunity, and realizing the importance 
and significance of "place" and "time" kills VAli. Valmiki teaches us 
that according to the conditions,demands and exigencies of time and 
place(dhEsha kAla)what is otherwise Dharma may become aDharma and 
what is aDharma may become Dharma. So,though Dharma demanded that a 
man should not kill a man from behind or when he is engaged in fight 
with another man in normal circumstances,yet had SriRama followed 
such a command at this juncture,it would have been out of "place" 
and "time" and thus instead of Dharma it would have been aDharma. 

We find SriRama at no other place does what he did in the case of 
VAli,for example,when he finds RAvaNa,his greatesy enemy,too tired in 
the battlefield he advises him to go back to Lanka and come back 
fresh next morning to fight him[Cf. VI.59.140,141;59.72,90]

Here ends the author's explanation. Ofcourse the author discusses 
various episodes in Valimiki Ramayana and those who are interested 
can read the book. 

PS:We may find people who are still not convinced by these 
explanations. It is good to ask questions because knowledge expands 
because of "why". But one has to remember that one has to undergo 
a "thorough" study of the "subject",whatever it may be, to comprehend 
the nuances. Samskrt is a very simple,beautiful and yet complex 
language in the sense that a "single" samskrt word allocates room for 
multiple meanings and hence multiple interpretations(that's why we 
have three different philosophies,advaita,srivisishtadvaita and 
dvaita)and which can lead a person(with little knowledge in subject 
matters)to develop hazardous misinterpretations. Above all,it is 
SriRama Himself who gave the vision to Sage VAlmIki to narrate His 
life as it is. When VAlmIki questions NAradha muni,"Is there a man 
who is the embodiment of all kalyANa guNas(auspicious qualities)?" 
and NAradha replies "Yes,there is one and His name is SriRama".

SrInAthE jAnakInAThE abhEdha: paramAthmani |
thaThApi mama sarvasvam rAma: kamalalOcana: ||

AzhvAr EmperumAnAr Jeeyar ThiruvadigaLE sharaNam
NC Nappinnai 





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