In this episode, we’re continuing the Ramayana. It’s one of the two epics in Indian mythology, the other is the Mahabharat which we’ve also covered in some detail on the show.
Today we’ll continue with Ram and Laxman continuing their search for Sita by first searching for Sugriva. But first, a quick summary of the story so far.
Ram was the Crown Prince of Ayodhya and an avatar of Vishnu, the preserver of the Universe. Ram had to give up his title to his brother Bharat. Because Bharat’s mom, Kaikeyi, cashed in on a couple of reckless promises that King Dasharath had made to her. It wasn’t just losing the crown, Ram had to go away for 14 years. But Ram did not go alone. His wife Sita and his brother Laxman went with him.
Bharat was completely in the dark about this arrangement. But he kind of only found out about it after Ram was forced out of Ayodhya. Bharath tried but nothing – not even the passing of their father Dasharath, could convince Rama to return.
In a forest, which was densely populated with all kinds of monsters, Ram, Laxman, and Sita still managed to lead a decent domestic life. All that changed when they encountered Surpanakha, followed by her brothers Khara and Dushana.
A bit of an unpleasant situation arose amongst them, which all ended in Shoorpanakha losing her ears and nose, but her brothers losing their lives.
Ravana, the ruler of Lanka and the mega villain of this epic, took revenge by carrying off Sita while Ram and Laxman were distracted.
Ram and Laxman searched around but all they found was their Vulture neighbor, who died right after. He was injured from having tried to stop Ravana.
They encountered a second monster, who was really a good guy turned monster. He asked the brothers to go seek out Sugriva. Because Sugriva could help them find Sita.
That’s where we’ll continue the story today.
Ram and Laxman walked along the long road towards Rishyamukha hill. They walked in silence until suddenly Laxman stopped in his tracks. “Good Grief!” he said.
“Why, what happened?” asked Ram.
“Not an expression of shock or annoyance at something. I just literally realized what Sugriva means. It means Good grief. Su is Good, and Grieve as in the verb for Grief”
“Maybe you should have paid a little more attention in school. Greeva means neck. Remember Hayagriva? You should. It’s another avatar of you and me. We’re back in Vishnu form. There’s a Greeva there too. Besides, the expression Good Grief is an oxymoron,” said Ram. “How can grief be good?”
No arguing with that. Especially if you didn’t pay as much attention in school as your elder brother did.
“Doesn’t matter what his name means.” shrugged off Laxman, even though he’d been the one to bring it up in the first place. “The more important question is – why should we go to Sugriva at all?”
“Kabanda said he’d help us,” replied Ram.
“And that’s exactly why I think we should not go. Kabandh was a Rakshas. Even if he claimed to be a Gandharva in his past life, he was a Rakshas now. Why should we trust him?” asked Laxman.
“That’s a terrible remark, little brother. We shouldn’t judge someone because of who they are. Judge them by what they do”
“Oh, that’s easy then” replied Laxman. “Do you want me to judge him by his actions? How about his act of trying to eat us?! Besides, we only have his own word that he was a Gandharva. What if this is all an elaborate plot to trick us? Maybe he is leading us to his hungry family. Sort of like ordering from DoorDash or GrubHub, except we are the food”
But Ram didn’t believe that. He thought Kabandha had been sincere. They decided to seek an independent opinion. And conveniently the opportunity to seek said independent opinion popped right up. They stumbled on a large settlement. Several rishis were eagerly brushing off the welcome mat. Which seemed rather strange, until one of them explained that they’d had a heads up that Ram was heading this way. They didn’t know he was bringing along a guest but he was welcome too.
Laxman’s reaction to that was – well, let’s just call it unfavorable.
But Rama addressed them “Thank you kind people, but we can’t visit you all. I’m afraid we must disappoint most of you. We’re going to visit with Shabari over there”
“How do you know her name?” asked Laxman
“It’s printed on her mailbox. You see, Laxman. But you do not observe”
“And why did you choose her? Her house looks poorer than most here”
“For the answer to that, we must flashback! For several years she served her guru – Matanga. And then one day when Matanga was moving on to, shall we say, a higher plane of existence, Shabari asked him what she could do to be similarly elevated? He told her that one day, Ram and Laxman would visit her and that is the day she must wait for. She has waited for us for several years. Every day she goes to the forest and plucks berries and fruits for us. Look, she has even made bowls using leaves.”
Every word he said was accurate. But it was more than just that. Every day, rain or shine Shabari kept waiting for them. The fact that they did not appear for several years did not in any way dampen her enthusiasm.
She greeted them warmly, offered them berries, and in general played the thoughtful host.
Laxman did not play the part of a thoughtful guest, however. He turned his nose up at the fact that each berry had been bitten into.
“Ewww, gross!” he said. Not the kind that a host likes to hear, especially if she has been thoughtful enough to taste each berry with the aim of picking only the sweet ones.
“You could have used a knife instead of biting into each one directly, And if you’ve picked all these sweet berries, why didn’t you just plant them in your yard? Then you need not have walked to the forest every day and all the berries would have been naturally sweet”
“That’s… not how evolution works” replied Rama. “You really should have paid attention in school. The same berry is first sour and then turns sweet. There is no selection of the sweetest happening here. But all that is beside the point. I’m totally comfortable eating these berries even if Shabari did bite into them. The fact that she did bite them really means that she really cares and wants nothing but the best for us”
Lakshman was not convinced. But it didn’t matter. Ram ignored him for a bit as he talked \to Shabari. He revealed to her the nine-step project that could elevate her to a higher spiritual plane. Basically, that meant guaranteeing a spot in heaven.
So, after revealing to Shabari the path to heaven, Ram asked her for the path to Rishyamukha hill. She was happy to direct him, but she had questions. Naturally.
“Why do you want to go there? Sita isn’t there, is she?” asked Shabari
“Someone told us that Sugriva could help”
Shabari stared for a while and said “Sugriva? Are you sure you got the name right?”. Lakshman was almost grinning and looking at Ram with an “I told you so” expression.
But then Shabari added, “I guess if you go to him, you will be helped. He’s got some good Vaanars on his side”
“There’s that expression again. Who or what is a Vaanar?” asked Lakshman
“Didn’t Kabandh explain?” asked Shabari “oh well. There are two theories of what a Vaanar is. The first one is that it simply means someone who lives in the forest”
“It’s ancient India, most people live in forests!” remarked Lakshman.
“Second,” continued Shabari ignoring him, “it might mean a monkey. Complete with fur and a tail, Able to leap tall buildings and eat”
“Like the monkeys in the Jungle Book?” asked Lakshman.
“Never. Mention. That. Abominable. Movie. … Ever” she said for good measure.
“I was talking about the original movie, not the live-action remake. You gotta admit the songs were catchy”
When both Shabari and Ram glared at him, Lakshman thought it might be best to drop the topic.
“Anyway, Sugriva is a Vaanar. He’s had a falling out with his brother”
“Please tell us more” urged Ram
“I don’t remember the details, but the whole story was in the last couple of editions of the Stardust magazine”. She went in and came back with a couple of magazines.
Ram took one. The cover showed two people with substantially more hair than the average Ancient Indian gentleman. They also had tails! It wasn’t clear if they were ornamental, or real”.
The headlines splashed in bright pink on the cover said “Revealed! The Secrets and Lies of the Vaanar brothers”
Some of the other stories included: “Shocking! The Yeti owes me 30 rupees!”
“Kaikeyi confesses: an alien with a ray gun made me exile Ram!”
“Are you sure this is good investigative journalism?” he asked
Shabari nodded. “The best you can expect in Ancient India”
Ram and Lakshman read the story. It went like this:
We bring our readers an exclusive scoop! Our readers have been eagerly waiting on any news of the Vaanar brothers, ever since we reported that Vali became King of the Vaanars, after deposing his younger brother Sugriva who had previously taken over the reins of government. Our correspondent gives us an eyewitness account of all that went on.
Readers are doubtless familiar with the situation as of last year when Vali ruled all Vaanars in Kishkinda. Our anonymous source reported that the trouble really started last year, right before Sugriva took control.
A passing Rakshas challenged Vali to a fight.
The Vanar King accepted and with Sugriva by his side, went to the venue chosen – a cave where the Rakshas was camping out.
Vali went into the cave but asked Sugriva to wait outside.
Our anonymous source who was hidden in the bushes reported that not long after, demonic laughter could be heard from the cave and blood trickled out.
Sugriva hastily closed the mouth of the cave and headed back to the Kingdom.
Our readers are doubtless familiar with the subsequent mourning of Vali’s presumed demise, and Sugriva’s crowning. All was well for a week, but then the boulder blocking the cave door flew open and Vali emerged. “I got him pretty much right away,” he told people, indicating the lifeless body of the Rakshas. “But it took a whole week just to move this boulder. Who put this here?”
When he reached the palace, he was angrier than ever. He had to walk the whole way. The chariot-taxi driver explained why he was refusing to accept Vali’s coins. “Demonetisation. Only the ones with Sugriva’s face are acceptable. The vali coins are no longer in circulation,” the chariot driver had told him.
Vali chased Sugriva out of the Kingdom with a pitchfork. Sugriva got a little lucky though. He managed to reach Rishyamukh hill just in time. Thanks to Matang rishi’s curse. Yes, the same Rishi who was the guru of one of our loyal subscribers. “That’s me! They’re talking about me” interjected Shabari.
They continued reading.
Matang had cursed Vali that he could not step on Rishyamukha hill. But that hasn’t stopped Vali from harassing Sugriva. He’s kept Sugriva’s wife trapped in his palace. Our anonymous source says that she cries daily for her husband but Vaali merely laughs at her request to go join her husband.
Vaali until recently was also regularly harassing Sugriva on Rishyamukha hill. Every day he used to leap straight onto Sugriva’s head and then take off again. Without actually setting foot on the hill itself.
Lakshman interrupted their reading “That takes immense precision, I think Vaali’s the guy we want on our side.”
The article continued.
It’s unknown why Vaali stopped doing that. Maybe he was tired of bothering Sugriva. Vaali had doubtless bigger fish to fry. Vaali has a superpower that allows him to drain his opponent of exactly half his strength. And because of that Vaali hasn’t lost a single fight!
“Strike 2 against Sugriva” muttered Lakshman
The very next line drew a sudden reaction from both Ram and Lakshman.
Our readers will remember that this superpower of Vaali’s enabled him to defeat Ravana after Ravana had wiped the arena floor with Sugriva
“That settles it. It’s Vaali we want” said Lakshman. “How can Sugriva help us? He’s in a bit of a pickle himself”
Ram was adamant. “No, we must seek Sugriva”
“And why is that bro? Read the article. I’m pretty certain Sugriva meant to close the cave off when he knew perfectly well that Vali was alive”
“The reason is clear. Vali broke the rules of engagement. He imprisoned Sugriva’s wife. That is an unpardonable offense”
Lakshman suddenly understood. The pain of Sita’s loss and the fact that she was now imprisoned was clear to see in Ram’s eyes.
Lakshman nodded. “Alright, Sugriva it is. Let’s go. If we move now, we can make it to Rishyamukha by sunset”
They thanked Shabari for her hospitality and began walking towards the Rishyamukh hill.
“I guess we’re looking for a hill that looks like the face of a Rishi. Problem is, they all look like a Rishi’s face”
“Here, let’s ask this gentleman,” said Ram. “Hello, Kind sir, can you tell us where we can find Sugriva?”
The gentleman looked like a scholar. “You have been in the Dandaka forest, I perceive” were his first words to the pair.
“How on Earth can you know that?” exclaimed Lakshman
“The right sole of your shoe has a brand of chewing gum stuck to it, it’s a brand that is only sold in the Dandaka forest. The chewing gum manufacturers don’t export, but even if they did, the gum would have changed color if it had been eaten and thrown somewhere else. Your weapons and new, the wood you used to make one of your bows grows in a specific part of the Dandaka forest. But not both of you. The other bow looks like it was made at mass scale by a weapons manufacturer specially catering to royal families. So you’re not from the Dandaka forest. You were camping there. The wear and tear on the bow tell me you’ve been there several years. But the biggest clue of all was your I heart Dandaka souvenir” he said indicating a keychain that was hanging from Lakshman’s bow.
“Well, now that you explain it doesn’t seem remarkable at all. Anyway, we asked you for directions. And you went off into all kinds of tangents. We’ll ask again. We need to find Sugriva”
The scholar looked at them. “At this point, I’m pretty sure you are not spies for Vali. I don’t think Vali’s the type to hire outside help. I’ll come clean. I’m a minister of Sugriva. We saw you coming from a distance and decided it made sense to check you out, up close in disguise”
“In disguise? You don’t seem to be in disguise. You look like a perfectly normal human being” replied Lakshman.
“And that is my disguise. Do you know how Clark Kent is Superman’s disguise? Well, this is my disguise.”
With that, the scholar transformed into a Vaanar. His body was covered in fur and he had a long tail. “Pleased to meet you, I am Hanuman,” he said
That’s where we’ll leave it. Hanuman is going to play a crucial role in the rest of the epic. But we’ll cover all of his contributions in future episodes.
Some notes on the show
Vali’s superpower is an interesting one. It makes him invincible practically. But only when Vali is aware of who or what he’s fighting. Maybe it doesn’t work against diseases or old age.
I’m sure you’ve guessed by now who it was who gave Vali this superpower. Yup, it was my dad. Brahma, the creator of the Universe. Practically in every story on this podcast that Brahma has featured in, he’s given some ridiculous amount of power to an undeserving person. Take Ravana for example. Ravana had incredible power as well, but in a clash between the two titans, Vali won. Because naturally, he stole half of Ravana’s powers.
We’ve often seen video game characters with all kinds of superpowers. Hadouken from Street Fighter, or Sonic the Hedgehog’s super speed, or teleportation. But Vali’s power could beat them all. Everything would have been fixed quickly if Vali had used his powers for good.
Previous Ramayana episodes are here:
Valmiki’s origin story is in Episode 6 – Fish Highwayman
The Ramayana kicks off in Episode 7 – Kingdom by Horse. Episode 15 – Rishi vs Rishi: Un-civil war! and Episode 16 – Six….teen Flags are about Rama and Laxman’s encounter with Vishwamitra
A flashback to Dasharath’s past is in Episode 24 – Promises made, hearts broken
Ram, Laxman, and Sita begin their exile in Episode 30 – Banished! and continue it in Episode 41 – Forest Life and Episode 64 – The First Kidnapping of Sita
They encounter Shoorpanakha in Episode 78 – Ramayana – An Indecent Proposal
We have also covered three episodes that aren’t part of the main storyline but feature some central Ramayana characters:
Hanuman’s origin story is in Episode 25 – Up, Up, and Away!
Episode 55 – Saturnine is about an encounter between Shani and Ravana.
Episode 81 – Ramayana – Wolverine Claws is the origin story of Ravana and Shoorpanakha.
And Episode 92 – Ramayana – Shanta is the story of Ram and Laxman’s sister – Shanta.
Episode 101 – Ramayana – A Wild Stag Chase explained how Ravana engineered a diversion so he could abduct Sita. And most recently in Episode 112 Ram and Laxman got their first hint of what had happened to Sita, and also were told that Sugriva could help them
Vali was also the character of the Week in Episode 21.
That’s all for now.
Next time
In the next episode, we’ll do a folk tale again. This one’s from South India as well and it features a girl raised by eagles, and born from, of all things, a mango!