Om namo Hanumate Namah

Such was Vali’s prowess that playfully he would kill not just the vānaras but also mighty demons who were otherwise unconquerable. At one time he killed the mighty demon Dundhubhi. Lifting up the corpse, which was as gigantic as a mountain, Vali swirled it vigorously in the air before flinging it far away. Dundhubhi’s corpse that was hurled so violently landed near the hermitage of Maharishi Matanga, which was situated on the Mountain Rushyamukha.

Seeing the gigantic corpse falling near his hermitage, Maharishi Matanga was infuriated. Using his divine vision, he figured this to be the task of the arrogant Vali. Angrily he cursed, ‘O Vali! If you dare to step on this mountain, your head will shatter into bits! Beware!’

Saints get annoyed when their peaceful penance is disturbed. To us, it appears as if their entire power of penance is wasted in their curses. Nevertheless, it is always safer for us to not act in such ways that would invite their curse upon us. Why should we mess with their pious, peaceful life and why should we fall in their eyes? Why do we need to hurt them?

There is a piece of ancient advice which states that one must never search for the origins of a river (nadi moola), origins of Guru and of great sages. Overstepping this advice, there are many who act in ways that infuriate saints and in-turn get cursed by them. As the result of the deeds and their consequences, these wrong-doers further get trapped into this mire called samsara i.e the terrible whirlpool called repeated births and repeated deaths. They sink to the lowest levels, lose their ability to swim to safety and ultimately drown in it. Remember that the person who hurts a saint will face severe repercussion. Hurting/ abusing him who works for the well-being of others in society causes the abuser to sink deeper into the mire. This rule is valid for every time period- be it Kŗta yuga or Kali yuga.

Likewise, Matanga Maharishi who was infuriated seeing the gigantic corpse of demon Dundhubhi at his doorstep, cursed Vali, ‘If ever you step on to this Rṣhyamukha Mountain, you head will split into innumerable pieces’. From then on, Vali dared not step on this mountain. This curse of the saint turned into a blessing in the future period. Let us now delve into that incident.

The enmity between brothers Vali and Sugriva

Once, it so happened that Vali had to combat the infallible demon Mayavi. This combat, which stretched endlessly for many days, took place in an enormous cave in the forests. After the passage of many days, suddenly blood began to gush from the cave. Vali’s associates, who were waiting outside the cave for his reappearance immediately concluded that Vali had died in the battle. Fearing the demon, they were terrified to step into the cave and assess the situation. Everyone, including Hanuman, was convinced that Vali had died in the combat.

What could have caused them to presume Vali was dead? It is difficult to judge. It was just the will of the Lord. Vali had, over the long period of rule, slowly begun to drift towards wickedness. The Lord had to punish him and, as the time for the punishment was drawing near, the thinking of the people was also influenced to suit it. They did not even remotely believe that Vali could have survived the combat. Even the wise Hanuman was convinced of Vali’s death.

Hanuman and Sugriva who concluded that Vali was dead now wanted to ensure that demon Mayavi would not emerge out of the cave.

Jaya Guru Datta