That land, said Rāma, is guarded by Bharata—righteous, truthful, and upright—who knows the essence of dharma, desire, and wealth. He delights in both punishment and favor, dispensing them with fairness. In Bharata, one finds both policy and discipline, with truth firmly established in his heart. He is a king of valor, who acts with full awareness of the right time and place. By the command of such a righteous ruler, we and the other kings roam the earth, striving to preserve dharma. As long as Bharata, that tiger among kings, devoted to righteousness, rules the world, who would dare act against righteousness? We, firmly established in our supreme duty, restrain those who stray from the path, upholding Bharata’s command as is proper. But you, Vāli, have deviated from righteousness. Your actions are blameworthy, you are ruled by desire, and you do not walk the royal path. Know that the eldest brother, the father, and the one who imparts knowledge—these three are to be revered as fathers by those who walk the path of dharma. In the same way, a younger son or a virtuous disciple should be regarded as a son; these three are considered sons, and righteousness is the reason for this. Dharma among the virtuous is subtle and extremely hard to discern, O monkey; yet the self, residing in the hearts of all beings, knows what is good and what is evil. Why do you, unstable yourself and surrounded by unstable monkeys lacking self-control, deliberate like a blind man among the blind? Still, I speak to you words that are clearly true; do not blame me out of anger. You, while Sugriva the great-souled still lived, acted out of desire with Rumā, your brother’s wife, committing a sinful deed. For one who has strayed from righteousness and acts according to desire, this punishment is justly prescribed for violating your brother’s wife. For one who acts against the ways of the world and departs from proper conduct, O monkey chief, I see no restraint other than punishment. Nor do I, a kṣatriya born of a noble line, tolerate your sin—whoever approaches his own father’s, uterine sister’s, or younger brother’s wife out of desire. If a man acts thus, the punishment is death; but Bharata is the ruler, and we act according to his command. You have transgressed righteousness; how could one who is wise and upholds dharma overlook the violation of duty owed to a superior? Bharata is intent on restraining those given to desire; and we, O monkey lord, having set the limit by Bharata’s command, are resolved to restrain those like you who have broken boundaries. My friendship with Sugriva is as it is with Lakṣmaṇa; and for the sake of his wife and kingdom, this brings me the highest good. The vow I made then in the presence of the monkeys—how could someone like me disregard a vow? Therefore, with all these great and righteous reasons, whatever command you give is proper; let it be approved by you. In every way, your act of restraint must be seen as dharma; one who seeks to help a friend should always consider righteousness. You too are able to perform that duty, following only dharma; it is said that Manu sang two verses, rich in virtue, which were adopted by those skilled in dharma, and I have followed that conduct. When kings enforce punishment, those who commit sins become pure and reach heaven, just as the virtuous do. Whether by punishment or by release, a thief is freed from sin; but if a king does not punish the sinner, he himself incurs guilt. My noble ancestor Māndhātr̥ once faced a terrible calamity; when a sin was committed by an ascetic, the sin was as you have committed. Even when other careless rulers commit sin, they perform atonement, and by that, the stain is removed. Therefore, enough of sorrow; your death is ordained by dharma, O foremost of monkeys, for we are not acting independently. Hear also another reason, O chief of monkeys; after hearing it, O hero, you should not be angry. I have no grief or anger about this, O chief of monkeys; for men, with snares, nets, and various traps, both hidden and visible, capture many animals—those that run, those that are frightened, those that are careless, and those that stand firmly. Men who eat meat strike both inattentive and attentive animals, even those who are turned away; and there is no fault in this. Royal sages, skilled in dharma, go hunting here; therefore, you were killed in battle by me with an arrow, O monkey, whether fighting or not, because you are a branch-animal. For rare dharma, for life, and for good fortune, kings, O best of monkeys, are indeed the givers—there is no doubt. One should not harm them, nor abuse, nor insult, nor speak unpleasantly; these are gods who wander this earth in human form. But you, not understanding dharma and relying only on anger, accuse me in matters of dharma, which is established by fathers and grandfathers. Thus addressed by Rāma, Vāli was greatly distressed; he could not find fault with Rāghava, having attained certainty in dharma. Then the king of monkeys, with joined palms, replied to Rāma, “What you have said, O best of men, is indeed so—there is no doubt.” “For it is only the superior who can respond to the superior, not the inferior; if earlier, through carelessness, I spoke words that were unfitting or unpleasant—even then, O Rāghava, you should not find fault with me. For you are one who perceives the true nature of things, devoted to the welfare of the people, and your clear and unwavering intellect is established in discerning right action and its cause.