Firstly, I would like to apologize for the delay in posting this one. To conclude the episode of "wife-husband relationship," let us know about the third couple in the Ramayana. We shall see the life of Vali and Tara. To give a brief introduction, Vali is the king of the monkey kingdom and Tara is his wife.

Vali was a very strong warrior with great valor and had a boon of getting half the strength of his opponent while fighting. Once a demon called Mayavi challenges Vali for a duel. Vali being an excellent warrior defeats Mayavi and in the pride of victory, throws the body of the demon as far as he can. The dead body falls in a hermitage of a sage on a mountain called Rushyamooka. That's how powerful Vali is. The sage sees the dead body and curses the one who did this. The curse is that if the person who has done it comes on to the mountain, his head would blow into thousand pieces. This serves as the reason for Sugreeva to stay on this mountain when Vali throws him out of the kingdom.

Sugreeva challenges for a duel after having Rama on his side. Unable to find the difference between the two, Rama would not be able to shoot his arrow and Sugreeva gets all beaten up! Sugreeva runs for his life and comes to the Rushyamooka mountain. Rama asks Lakshmana to put a garland on to Sugreeva so that he can differentiate. Now Sugreeva goes and challenges Vali again. Vali would be in his palace with Tara beside him. Tara is depicted as a very intelligent, courageous, and convicted wife. She observes that there is something fishy about Sugreeva calling Vali for another duel. She asks Vali to stop and think about how Sugreeva after getting beaten up so badly almost to death can come back in no time? She understands and explains that the voice with which he is calling Vali out has some kind of confidence in it. She also tells that she got news that Rama along with Lakshmana has come into their kingdom recently in search of Sita. She explains Vali about the greatness of Rama and expects that Sugreeva has joined with Rama. She even mentions that Sugreeva is not someone who would believe somebody very easily which happens to be true. Sugreeva did not believe in Rama unless he proved himself and only then Sugreeva came for a duel with Vali. She tries to convince Vali in every possible way by describing Sugreeva and Rama. Vali listens to whatever she had to tell, doesn't even step forward while she is speaking, doesn't talk back. Then he turned towards her and said, "It is so kind of you that you warned me about the possible danger. Now that you have told what you wanted to, I will do what I want to!". That is the kind of relationship between Vali and Tara. He listens to all of what she had to say (unlike Ravana) but doesn't follow a word of what she told. 

So these are just three couples from the Ramayana. Vali listens to Tara but doesn't follow. Ravana doesn't listen to Mandodari at all. And then there is Gauthama who cleanses all of the sins done by his wife and makes her pure all again. Now it is your turn to choose whom to follow.

I humbly place this article at the feet of Sri Chaganti Koteswara Rao and feel extremely privileged for having got an opportunity to translate his speech so that it benefits the society. In his words, "Every couple that is going to get married should be made to analyze these couples and should be asked to come up with a certain summary of what they understood with the parents. Parents would then have to correct them if they are going wrong somewhere in the interpretation". Hoping for a better society, may all the beings in the world be at peace!

Om Namah Shivaya! Om Sree Gurubhyo Namaha! Harihi Om!








Image courtesy: Wikipedia