Vali’s accusations………of Rama

Vali accosts Rama with following accusations. Many people question Rama’s ethics of shooting from back. But first let us see what Vali accuses Rama of. The list below is very exhaustive and comprises of many sins.

1	What merit is achieved by you, in sending me to death when I am facing away from you. sloka 4-17-16,त्वम् नराधिपतेः पुत्रः प्रथितः प्रिय दर्शनः | पराङ्मुख वधम् कृत्वा को अत्र प्राप्तः त्वया गुणः | यदहम् युद्ध सम्रब्धः त्वत् कृते निधनम् गतः || You are a renowned prince with pleasing looks.. but, which kind of death I am getting now, that too when I was in the commotion of conflict with another, alas, that ignoble death is owing to you, and what merit is achieved by you in this undertaking of yours to kill someone who is facing away from you….. 4-17-21न माम् अन्येन संरब्धम् प्रमत्तम् वेद्धुम् अर्हसि |इति मे बुद्धिर् उत्पन्ना बभूव अदर्शने तव || "When you have not appeared before me when I confronted Sugreeva my concept was, 'it will be inapt of Rama to hurt me while I am combating with another combatant, besides, when I will be unvigilant in that fight...'…..
2	This senseless murder is not the job of a King . sloka 4-17-19,दमः शमः क्षमा धर्मो धृति सत्यम् पराक्रमः | पर्थिवानाम् गुणा राजन् दण्डः च अपकारिषु | "To be able to control senses and will, forgiveness, conscientiousness, resoluteness, truthfulness, and adventurousness, oh, king, are the aptitudes of a king, and even punishing the wrongdoers, too..
3	You have strayed from the path of righteousness sloka 4-17-22,न त्वाम् विनिहत आत्मानम् धर्म ध्वजम् अधार्मिकम् | जाने पाप समाचारम् तृणैः कूपम् इव आवृतम् || "Not known that your soul is put to death, not known that you are the unrighteous flag bearer of righteousness, to me not known that you are insidious like straw covered well...
4	You are a sinner sloka 4-17-23 सताम् वेष धरम् पापम् प्रच्छन्नम् इव पावकम् | न अहम् त्वाम् अभिजानामि धर्म छद्माभि संवृतम् || "I have no knowledge that you are a sinner, one in the garb of a benign soul, and explicitly mantled under the garb of probity like ash covered fire.
5	I have not committed any crime in your country or in mine. sloka 4-17-24 विषये वा पुरे वा ते यदा पापम् करोमि अहम् | न च त्वाम् अवजाने अहं कस्मात् त्वम् हंसि अकिल्बिषम् || फल मूल अशनम् नित्यम् वानरम् वन गोचरम् | माम् इह अप्रतियुध्यन्तम् अन्येन च समागतम् || "I am non-guilty as I have not committed any misdeed either in your country or in your city, nor I have taunted you; I am a vanara subsisting on fruits and tubers and always moving in forests alone; such as I am, what made you to torture me when I was not combating with you en face, furthermore, when I was involved with another? .
6	No learned person will commit a crime like this Sloka 4-17-27कः क्षत्रिय कुलेजातः श्रुतवान् नष्टसंशयः | धर्म लिंग प्रतिच्छन्नः क्रूरम् कर्म समाचरेत् || "Will anybody born in Kshatriya's family, a learned one in Veda-s, thereby who is rid of ambiguities with respect to right and wrong, and who is cloaked in an air of probity, execute such a ruthless deed like this? ...
7	I am an animal whose parts are of no use to humans so why did you kill wantonly. sloka 4-17-30वयम् वनचरा राम मृगा मूल फल अशनाः | एषा प्रकृतिर् अस्माकम् पुरुषः त्वम् नरेश्वरः "We as animals live in forests while you are city dwellers, we live by eating fruits and tubers while you enjoy feasts and banquets, our nature is such to kill and get killed, thus you and me have no correlation. And you, even if you are a man and a prince for humans, you resorted to this animalistic way of killing me lying in the wait, thus your action is worse than that of an animal, if not subhuman or un-princely. , 4-17-38अधार्यम् चर्म मे सद्भी रोमाणि अस्थि च वर्जितम् |अभक्ष्याणि च मांसानि त्वत् विधैः धर्मचारिभिः || "My skin is unwearable, holy people forbid my hair and bones, and uneatable is my meat for your kind of reputable people. , 4-17-38पंच पंच नखा भक्ष्या ब्रह्म क्षत्रेण राघव | शल्यकः श्वाविधो गोधा शशः कूर्मः च पंचमः || "Raghava, five kinds of five-nailed animals, viz., a kind of wild rodent, a kind of wild-boar, a kind of lizard, a hare and fifthly the turtle are edible for Brahmans and Kshatriya-s.
8	You did this in distress without thought sloka 4-8-34न ते अस्ति अपचितिः धर्मे न अर्थे बुद्धिर् अवस्थिता | इन्द्रियैः काम वृत्तः सन् कृष्यसे मनुजेश्वर || "Oh, king, you have no devotion to probity, nor your mind is firm about material gains, but as a free-willed one you are distracted by senses.
9	You killed out of self interest sloka 4-17-33त्वम् तु काम प्रधानः च कोपनः च अनवस्थितः | राज वृत्तेषु संकीर्णः शरासन परायणः || "But, to you your self-interests are primary, and you are a wrathful, capricious, contriver of kingcraft, and an impetuous shooting-happy archer.
10	You have defamed your father who was great 4-17-43 शठो नैकृतिकः क्षुद्रो मिथ्या प्रश्रित मानसः | कथम् दशरथेन त्वम् जातः पापो महात्मना || "How are you borne to that great-souled Dasharatha when you are artful, felonious, knavish, disposed to a false modesty subconsciously, and an evildoer?
11	If only you had depended on me you would have achieved your goal easily. sloka 4-17-51 न्यस्ताम् सागर तोये वा पाताले वा अपि मैथिलीम् |आनयेयम् तव आदेशात् श्वेताम् अश्वतरीम् इव || "I would have brought Maithili at your order even if she is lodged in oceanic waters or in nether worlds, as with the White Horse of Vedic lore.
12	You are a coward and not a valorous person. sloka (4-17-46) ,sloka (4-17-47) 4-17-43 शठो नैकृतिकः क्षुद्रो मिथ्या प्रश्रित मानसः | कथम् दशरथेन त्वम् जातः पापो महात्मना || "How are you borne to that great-souled Dasharatha when you are artful, felonious, knavish, disposed to a false modesty subconsciously, and an evildoer? So strategy is yet not set.
13	Please answer me if you can sloka (4-17-53) 4-17-53 कामम् एवम् विधम् लोकः कालेन विनियुज्यते | क्षमम् चेत् भवता प्राप्तम् उत्तरम् साधु चिंत्यताम् || "Admittedly the world is this way, and if possible a relevant reply may gently be thought ofabout your propriety in killing me..." So said Vali to Rama.

It should be noted that Vali did not accuse Rama of hiding while shooting Vali. Many Preachers tell he was hiding behind 7 trees etc. This is wrong. He is accused of shooting when Val was preoccupied and unaware of Rama. He also accuses him of killing him without confronting him