Devotee:
Pranam, Gurudev.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Pranam, Baba, Pranam. Tell me.
Devotee:
Gurudev, in our Ramayana and Mahabharata, we know of numerous characters. Some we know well, while others we have only briefly encountered. Among them is Bali, the son of the king of the Vanaras in the Ramayana. While we might know a bit about him, we often overlook his full story. I have heard he possessed immense power. Could you tell us more about him today?
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Actually, the story of Bali and Sugriva begins with Lord Brahma. Once, while Brahma was meditating on a mountain, tears fell from his eyes. He wiped one tear from his eye, but another fell to the ground. From that tear, Riksha was born.
Devotee:
Riksha was a Vanara (monkey-humanoid)?
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Yes, he was a Vanara. He lived with Brahma and served him with great devotion, bringing him flowers and water. Nearby, there was a river. One day, Riksha went to the river to bathe and saw his reflection in the water. He got scared of the "other" Vanara and jumped into the river to fight it. When he emerged, his form had changed into an incredibly beautiful woman—someone of unimaginable beauty.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
At that moment, the Sun god (Surya) and the King of gods (Indra) were passing by. They are friends, you see. Their eyes fell upon this woman, and they were stunned by her beauty. They had never seen anyone so exquisite. Both gods felt a surge of energy, often referred to as a "Mani" or "Jyoti"—not a physical jewel, but a divine ray or essence. Indra’s energy fell upon her hair, and Surya’s energy fell upon her neck. From the energy on her hair, Bali was born, and from the energy on her neck, Sugriva was born. So, Bali and Sugriva were essentially brothers. Bali grew to be exceptionally powerful.
Devotee:
I’ve heard Bali was incredibly strong.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Yes, but there is more. Indra gave Bali a golden necklace. This necklace had a special power: whoever faced Bali in battle would lose half of their strength to him. This made Bali virtually invincible. Now, there was a demon named Dundubhi, a shape-shifter. He first challenged the Ocean, but the Ocean declined and told him to challenge the Himalayas. The King of the Mountains also declined and suggested he fight Bali, as only Bali could defeat him.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Dundubhi went to Kishkindha and challenged Bali. Bali, being so powerful, easily defeated him. He picked up Dundubhi’s body and hurled it far away. It landed near the ashram of Matanga Muni. A few drops of the demon's blood fell on the sacred ashram, which enraged the sage. Matanga Muni cursed Bali, saying that if Bali ever set foot on that mountain or near his ashram, he would die instantly.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Later, Dundubhi’s brother, Mayavi, came to avenge him. He challenged Bali and then ran into a deep cave. Bali followed him, telling Sugriva to wait outside. Sugriva waited for a long time—almost a year. Eventually, he saw blood flowing out of the cave. He heard no sounds from Bali and assumed the demon had killed him. To prevent the demon from escaping, Sugriva blocked the cave entrance with a massive rock and returned to Kishkindha, where he was crowned king.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
However, Bali had actually killed Mayavi. When he returned and found the cave blocked and Sugriva on the throne, he was furious. He believed Sugriva had betrayed him. He exiled Sugriva and even kept Sugriva's wife for himself. Sugriva knew about the curse of Matanga Muni, so he took refuge on Rishyamukha mountain, knowing Bali could never go there. That is where he eventually met Lord Ram.
Devotee:
And Ram helped him?
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Yes. When Ram met Sugriva, Sugriva was skeptical of Ram’s power compared to Bali’s. To prove himself, Ram shot an arrow that pierced seven palm trees at once. Seeing this, Sugriva gained confidence. During the battle between the brothers, Ram hid behind a tree and shot Bali with an arrow. As Bali lay dying, he questioned Ram: "You are a practitioner of Dharma, why did you strike me from behind? If you are so powerful, why not face me?"
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Ram replied, "I am acting in the interest of Dharma. You committed a great sin by taking your brother's wife while he was alive. For such an adharmic act, your punishment is death." There is also a story about Bali and Ravana. Ravana once heard of Bali's strength and went to challenge him. At that time, Bali was performing his daily prayers at the shores of the seven seas. When Ravana tried to attack, Bali simply tucked Ravana under his arm and continued his prayers, traveling across all seven seas. Ravana was helpless and eventually begged for friendship.
Devotee:
Gurudev, I’ve heard that Bali was rebirth later to settle the score with Ram.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
That is a popular belief. It is said that because Ram killed Bali from behind a tree, Bali was reborn in the Dwapara Yuga as the hunter, Jara. When Lord Krishna (the reincarnation of Vishnu/Ram) was resting, Jara mistook his foot for a deer and shot him with an arrow from behind a bush. This was seen as the karmic completion of the act in the Ramayana. This story is found in the Mushal Parva of the Mahabharata.
Devotee:
It's fascinating. We usually only hear about Bali being killed by Ram, but the depth of his character and his origins are rarely discussed.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Indeed. Every character in these epics—Ramayana and Mahabharata—is meticulously crafted. The names themselves, like Duryodhana, Dushasana, Dhritarashtra, or Shakuni, carry deep meaning. These are the four great epics of the world: the Iliad, the Odyssey, the Ramayana, and the Mahabharata. The Mahabharata is particularly elaborate. Each character’s build-up, their relationship with Dharma and Adharma, is unique. Take Shakuni, for instance. There is a saying that after death, only Shakuni went to heaven because he remained true to his personal mission, despite how others saw him. The complexity of these stories is what makes them timeless.
Devotee:
Thank you, Gurudev.
Guru Shyama Khyapa:
Pranam, Baba. Pranam.