My name is Vali. I am a strong, powerful leader and I have had many opportunities to display my great strength. I have a brother whose name is Sugriva. He is also a very powerful fighter. Unfortunately, he is not as dependable as I am. Being reliable is essential to being a leader, but Sugriva is an evil traitor. Family values are of utmost importance to me and I refuse to accept someone who has no respect for blood. As we speak, I am on my way to engage him in battle. Before we begin, I will give you the backstory.
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Years ago, I was fighting an enemy who took our battle beneath the surface of the earth. Timid to travel underground, I made Sugriva promise me that he would watch the mouth of the hole and wait for my return.
Sugriva promised.
The battle raged on for months upon months, but I finally killed the foe. I was exhausted but excited to share the news with my brother. I hurried up the tunnel, but when I reached the top…it was filled in. I had no escape—I was stuck underground! I had used every ounce of my strength killing this beast and didn’t know if I had it in me to break through the ground. I rested for weeks and finally built up the strength to crash through the mountain that sat atop me.
How could my brother do this to me? I thought to myself that surely it had been a mistake. However, when I arrived back to Kishkindha, I saw none other than my beloved brother ruling my subjects.
I have never felt so betrayed.
I banished my brother and took away his wife. I truly believed that this was not punishment enough, but I couldn’t bring myself to kill someone who shared my blood.
However, I have received word that Sugriva wishes to engage me in battle. Perhaps now I will truly bring justice to the situation by removing this fiend from our family completely.
The battle raged on for months upon months, but I finally killed the foe. I was exhausted but excited to share the news with my brother. I hurried up the tunnel, but when I reached the top…it was filled in. I had no escape—I was stuck underground! I had used every ounce of my strength killing this beast and didn’t know if I had it in me to break through the ground. I rested for weeks and finally built up the strength to crash through the mountain that sat atop me.
How could my brother do this to me? I thought to myself that surely it had been a mistake. However, when I arrived back to Kishkindha, I saw none other than my beloved brother ruling my subjects.
I have never felt so betrayed.
I banished my brother and took away his wife. I truly believed that this was not punishment enough, but I couldn’t bring myself to kill someone who shared my blood.
However, I have received word that Sugriva wishes to engage me in battle. Perhaps now I will truly bring justice to the situation by removing this fiend from our family completely.
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My wife, Tara, had begged me not to engage in this battle, but I knew I had made the right decision. I had to right the wrongs that had been done to me. There was no way that I would not win.
With power and rage, the fight began. Sugriva quickly uprooted a tree that he flung toward me. The blow slowed me down, but would not deter me. Enraged by the nerve of this conspirator, I used every inch of power and might that I could find within me for battle. Unfortunately for me, Sugriva was a powerful opponent. I should have guessed as much; our family is full of the biggest and strongest.
The fight raged on for hours. After what seemed like an eternity, I could tell that I was beginning to wear him down. A boulder that I threw at him landed on his leg, causing him to fall to the ground. In an instant, I stood atop him, ready to make my move. With my hands in the air, I was ready to unleash the move that would end my brother’s life.
Nothing could stop me…or so I thought.
“Vali, halt!” said a voice from behind me. I turned to see none other than my beautiful wife standing there, startled and out of breath. I was always delighted to see her shining face, but today’s timing was not ideal.
“What in the world is it!?” I snapped.
In this moment, Sugriva escaped my grasp and sprang into action.
“Sugriva, don’t you move either,” my wife began. “I have information that will change this entire situation.”
Confused, we ceased fighting and turned toward my wife. What information could she possible have that was vital enough to risk her life by coming into this war zone?
It was then that Tara told me the words that began to break my heart. She told me that she believed Sugriva’s story that he had not meant to cause me harm. I could not believe that she could possibly turn against me.
But then, a vulture appeared from the sky and stood beside her.
“Wise brothers,” said the vulture, “I was in the woods the day that this rivalry began. I watched as Sugriva guarded a mysterious hole in the ground for over a year. I could not fathom what could possibly be in this hole that was so important. It captivated my attention enough that I never left watch. Soon enough, there was a horrendous scream and blood escaped from the hole. I saw young Sugriva mourn and weep. I knew that whatever he had been guarding was no longer surviving in that hole. Respectfully, Sugriva closed the hole and paid proper homage. When Sugriva left the hole, I did as well. I assumed there was nothing left to see. I never knew what had been in that hole until today. When I came across Tara, she told me the tale of the feuding brothers and expressed her concern about this battle. I knew that I had to come tell my tale before it was too late.” And with that, the vulture bowed and flew away.
I could not believe my ears. My stomach churned. I could not tell if I was feeling guilt or relief. I was thankful to discover that my brother had never wronged me, but I was sickened to realize that I lived the past decade of my life insulted over a misunderstanding. With a humble heart, I stuck out my hand. I forgave Sugriva and I hoped that he could forgive me too. Without hesitation, my brother firmly grasped my hand with a look of sincerity in his eyes. I knew that I could not undo what happened over the last ten years, but I was thankful to have my brother back.
(Sugriva and Vali reuniting. Source)
Author’s Note: This story is based off of the scene Sugriva’s Story from the Public Domain Edition of the Mahabharata. I kept the context and character profiles very close to the original. For the background information at the beginning of my story, I used the original background information from the story of Sugriva and Vali. However, in the actual scene, Sugriva comes back from banishment for revenge and kills his brother. Being the family-oriented person that I am, I hated the idea of feuding brothers. I especially hated that it ended with one of the brothers being killed. I thought this would be a fun opportunity to write a story with a happier ending. In the original story, the whole ordeal is a misunderstanding. I changed the story by having the vulture tell his account of what actually happened. What the vulture saw was the same as what happened in the original story. I just added the character of the vulture to bring light to the misunderstanding. I also changed the story by having it told from Vali’s perspective. I knew that Vali had a lot of built up anger, so having it told from his side made the truth coming out even more of a shock. I really enjoyed writing the story from a new perspective and creating a happy ending from an originally tragic one. It was a fun challenge!
Bibliography:
Public Domain Ramayana: Sugriva's Story
