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Sugreeva
Vali is the initial king of the monkeys in Kiskinda. He's a very powerful being in his own right, but he also has the special power of being nearly invincible. When someone wishes to fight Vali, they give up half their power to Vali, making him even stronger. However, this power makes Vali an unwilling listener. He banishes his brother, Sugreeva, because he was unwilling to listen to Sugreeva's truthful account of a past event, and instead Vali chose to believe that Sugreeva wanted to usurp him. This lack of rational and considerate thought leads Rama to side with Sugreeva and kill Vali without listening to Vali's version of events. However, as Vali dies, Rama convinces him that even though he's a monkey, he is capable of accessing and using a more nuanced and human system of conduct and thought. This allows Vali to find eternal peace in the afterworld.
Vali Quotes in The Ramayana
The The Ramayana quotes below are all either spoken by Vali or refer to Vali. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
6. Vali
Quotes
The perfect man takes a false step, apparently commits a moral slip, and we ordinary mortals stand puzzled before the incident. It may be less an actual error of commission on his part than a lack of understanding on ours; measured in Eternity, such an event might stand out differently.
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"We should not become too analytical about a friend, nor look too deeply into original causes; but accept only what appears good to us in the first instance, and act on it."
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"Creatures in human shape may be called animals if they display no knowledge of right and wrong and conversely so-called animals which display profundity cease to be animals and will have to be judged by the highest standards."
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"In spite of my obstinacy you have helped me attain a profound understanding and opened my mind with your magic. While other gods confer boons after being asked, you confer them on the mere utterance of your name. Great sages have attempted, after eons of austerities, to obtain a vision of God, but you have bestowed it upon me unasked."
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Vali Quotes in The Ramayana
The The Ramayana quotes below are all either spoken by Vali or refer to Vali. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
6. Vali
Quotes
The perfect man takes a false step, apparently commits a moral slip, and we ordinary mortals stand puzzled before the incident. It may be less an actual error of commission on his part than a lack of understanding on ours; measured in Eternity, such an event might stand out differently.
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
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Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
"We should not become too analytical about a friend, nor look too deeply into original causes; but accept only what appears good to us in the first instance, and act on it."
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
"Creatures in human shape may be called animals if they display no knowledge of right and wrong and conversely so-called animals which display profundity cease to be animals and will have to be judged by the highest standards."
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
"In spite of my obstinacy you have helped me attain a profound understanding and opened my mind with your magic. While other gods confer boons after being asked, you confer them on the mere utterance of your name. Great sages have attempted, after eons of austerities, to obtain a vision of God, but you have bestowed it upon me unasked."
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