Short answer
Not as an example for every person. The Ramayana opens by asking who the ideal man is, and it names Rama. Hindus love him for keeping his father's word at great cost. But the epic also records deeds that a follower cannot copy. Rama shot Vali from behind the trees while Vali fought another man. His last plea was the rule of the hunt. The last book, which many Hindus hold to be a later addition, tells of Shambuka. Rama beheaded this ascetic for doing penance though born a Shudra, the lowest class. A man born a Shudra could not follow that example. The Qur'an bars no one from worship by birth. It corrects even its own Prophet (ﷺ) for frowning at a blind seeker (80:1-10). It calls him "a beautiful pattern (of conduct)" (33:21), and says he stands on "an exalted standard of character" (68:4).
Full explanation
The ideal man of the Ramayana
The Ramayana is the epic of Rama. Hindus hold it as smriti, the remembered tradition. It opens with a question. The poet Valmiki asks who in all the world "Is virtuous, heroic, true". The sage Narada answers with one name: Rama. Hindus call him maryada purushottam, the best of men, who keeps the bounds of right conduct. They love him for what he gives up in the story. He leaves a throne and goes into exile rather than question his father's word. The Bhagavata Purana says the Lord's descent as a mortal was also to teach mankind (5.19.5). So Rama's life is held up to be followed. Krishna's case is different, because the Bhagavata warns against copying some of his deeds. Rama is offered as the pattern itself. That is why his deeds can fairly be tested as an example.
“In all this world, I pray thee, who Is virtuous, heroic, true? Firm in his vows, of grateful mind, To every creature good and kind?”
“Known to the world by Ráma’s name: With soul subdued, a chief of might, In Scripture versed, in glory bright, His steps in virtue’s paths are bent, Obedient, pure, and eloquent.”
“My father’s words I will not stay To question, but this very day To Daṇḍak’s pathless wild will fare, For twice seven years an exile there.”
In a hymn to Rama sung by his devotee Hanuman, the Bhagavata says that the Lord's descent as a mortal was not only to kill the Rakshasa, but also to teach mankind. Otherwise, it asks, why should sorrow fall to the lot of him who is the soul of the universe? Three verses later (5.19.8), it calls on everyone, celestial, Asura, man or monkey, to worship Hari in the human form of Rama.
What this page asks
The Qur'an says God (﷾) sent messengers whose stories it does not tell (40:78). It names no prophet of India, and Muslims do not guess. So this page passes no judgement on any man. It reads what these books say, in their own words, and asks one thing. Could a reader live by this example? Two passages test it, and the epic itself raises the question in the first of them.
“We did aforetime send messengers before thee: of them there are some whose story We have related to thee, and some whose story We have not related to thee. It was not (possible) for any messenger to bring a sign except by the leave of Allah: but when the Command of Allah issued, the matter was decided in truth and justice, and there perished, there and then those who stood on Falsehoods.”
Vali: shot from behind the trees
Vali (Báli in Griffith's spelling) was king of the Vanaras, the forest people whom the epic calls monkeys. Rama had sworn to help Vali's brother Sugriva win back his wife and kingdom. Sugriva called Vali out to fight. Rama and his party stood where trees "Wove round their forms a veiling screen". When Sugriva began to lose, Rama shot Vali. Vali fell. He asked what fame Rama could gain as one "Whose secret hand has laid me low When madly fighting with my foe?" M. N. Dutt's prose has: "What merit hast thou reaped by destroying me, who was not engaged in fight with thee?" The Sanskrit word is paranmukha: Vali's face was turned elsewhere. Vali says he "Fell by a hand I could not see". Tulsidas wrote the Hindi telling that many Hindus know best, in the sixteenth century, and he keeps the complaint. His Rama watches "from behind a tree". His Bali says: "you take my life, as a huntsman would that of a wild beast". So Vali's complaint is not only that he died. It is the way he died, and that is the part a follower would have to copy.
“My soul accounts Sugríva dear E’en as my brother Lakshmaṇ here. He brings me blessing, and I swore His wife and kingdom to restore:”
“They stood where trees of densest green Wove round their forms a veiling screen.”
“Then Ráma saw Sugríva quail, Marked his worn strength grow weak and fail. Saw how he turned his wistful eye To every quarter of the sky. His friend’s defeat he could not brook, Bent on his shaft an eager look, Then burned to slay the conquering foe, And laid his arrow on the bow.”
“What fame, from one thou hast not slain In front of battle, canst thou gain, Whose secret hand has laid me low When madly fighting with my foe?”
“What merit hast thou reaped by destroying me, who was not engaged in fight with thee? I was exercised with ire, being engaged in conflict (with another person)”
“In vain I strove, and struck by thee Fell by a hand I could not see.”
“Ráma watched them from behind a tree.”
“You have become incarnate, sire, for the advancement of religion, and yet you take my life, as a huntsman would that of a wild beast.”
Rama's answer
The epic gives Rama a full reply. Vali took his brother's wife while his brother lived, and the law's penalty is death. Rama says he had sworn to help Sugriva. He quotes Manu, that sinners punished by kings go pure to heaven. He says "we Obey our king and are not free". So Rama does not claim to stand above the law, and that matters. Krishna's defence in the Bhagavata is that the mighty are not stained. Rama's defence is that he kept the law, so his answer can be tested by it. Last comes what he calls another plea. Hunters strike deer "From thickest shade, concealed from sight", and no one blames them. Dutt's prose ends: "And I am justified in killing thee, whether thou dost fight or not since thou art a monkey." The epic says Vali then accepted all this and freed Rama from blame. He asked Rama to care for his son.
“Thou, Báli, in thy brother’s life Hast robbed him of his wedded wife, And keepest, scorning ancient right, His Rumá for thine own delight.”
“I may not, sprung of Kshatriya line, Forgive this heinous sin of thine: The laws for those who sin like thee The penalty of death decree.”
“My soul accounts Sugríva dear E’en as my brother Lakshmaṇ here. He brings me blessing, and I swore His wife and kingdom to restore:”
“For hear me, Vánar King, rehearse What Manu spake in ancient verse,— This holy law, which all accept Who honour duty, have I kept:”
“But men who have committed crimes and have been punished by the king, go to heaven, being pure like those who performed meritorious deeds.”
“Cease, Báli, cease: no more complain: Reproaches and laments are vain, For thou art justly punished: we Obey our king and are not free.”
“We take the silvan tribes beset With snare and trap and gin and net, And many a heedless deer we smite From thickest shade, concealed from sight. Wild for the slaughter of the game, At stately stags our shafts we aim. We strike them bounding scared away, We strike them as they stand at bay, When careless in the shade they lie, Or scan the plain with watchful eye. They turn away their heads; we aim, And none the eager hunter blame. Each royal saint, well trained in law Of duty, loves his bow to draw And strike the quarry, e’en as thou Hast fallen by mine arrow now, Fighting with him or unaware,— A Vánar thou.—I little care.”
“And even many royal ascetics, versed in religious lore, go a-hunting; and hence thou hast been killed by me with a shaft, O monkey, in the conflict. And I am justified in killing thee, whether thou dost fight or not since thou art a monkey.”
“He ceased: and Báli sore distressed The sovereign claims of law confessed, And freed, o’erwhelmed with woe and shame, The lord of Raghu’s race from blame.”
“Spare him, O son of Raghu, spare The child entrusted to thy care.”
Two answers that pull apart
Vali asked why he was killed, and why in this way. The law answers the first question. Only the hunt answers the second. Yet the two answers do not fit together. If Vali is a subject under the law of marriage, he is a person who answers for his deeds. If he is a deer, no law of marriage touches him. Rama also calls Sugriva, a Vanara like Vali, as dear to him as his own brother. Griffith, who translated the epic, says he cannot understand how the poet could give Rama this excuse. The law book Rama quotes has a rule of its own. A king in battle, Manu says, must not strike "one who is fighting with another (foe)" (7.92). Rama himself says Vali was killed "in the conflict". And Vali first hears the charge after the arrow has struck. Tulsidas's Rama gives the law alone, and the plea of the hunt is gone. Yet there too the arrow comes from behind a tree, and the law does not explain that. So what can a follower copy? In Valmiki, the only ground Rama gives for the hidden shot is that the man struck counts as game. No one can take that as a rule for dealing with other people.
“We take the silvan tribes beset With snare and trap and gin and net, And many a heedless deer we smite From thickest shade, concealed from sight. Wild for the slaughter of the game, At stately stags our shafts we aim. We strike them bounding scared away, We strike them as they stand at bay, When careless in the shade they lie, Or scan the plain with watchful eye. They turn away their heads; we aim, And none the eager hunter blame. Each royal saint, well trained in law Of duty, loves his bow to draw And strike the quarry, e’en as thou Hast fallen by mine arrow now, Fighting with him or unaware,— A Vánar thou.—I little care.”
“And even many royal ascetics, versed in religious lore, go a-hunting; and hence thou hast been killed by me with a shaft, O monkey, in the conflict. And I am justified in killing thee, whether thou dost fight or not since thou art a monkey.”
“My soul accounts Sugríva dear E’en as my brother Lakshmaṇ here. He brings me blessing, and I swore His wife and kingdom to restore:”
Griffith, who translated the epic, writes that he cannot understand how Valmiki could give Rama this excuse. Rama had made a solemn alliance with Vali's younger brother, and regards him as a dear friend and almost an equal.
“Nor one who sleeps, nor one who has lost his coat of mail, nor one who is naked, nor one who is disarmed, nor one who looks on without taking part in the fight, nor one who is fighting with another (foe);”
“a younger brother's wife, a sister, a daughter-in-law and an unwedded maid are all alike: whoever looks upon one of them with an evil eye may be slain without any sin.”
“Ráma watched them from behind a tree.”
| Vali's question | Rama's answer |
|---|---|
| Why was I killed? | You took your brother's wife, and the law's penalty is death. |
| Why strike one who never fought you? | I swore to help Sugriva, and we obey our king. |
| Why from a hand I could not see? | Hunters strike deer from hiding, and you are a monkey. |
Shambuka: the ascetic who told the truth
The epic's last book, the Uttara Kanda, tells a second story. Rama is now king. A Brahmin brings his dead son, still a boy, to the palace gate and blames the king's rule. The sage Narada explains. In these ages, he says, "the Sudras were not entitled to the virtues of devout penances". A Shudra, one born to the lowest of the four classes, has begun such penance in the kingdom. "And for that reason this boy hath met with death." Rama goes in search and finds an ascetic doing penance head downwards beside a pool. He asks which class he was born to, and says: "Do thou speak the truth". The ascetic says he was born a Shudra, that his name is Shambuka, and that he seeks the world of the gods. The text goes on: "Rāma took out of scabbard a beautiful sharp sword and chopped off his head therewith." In the traditional text, which Dutt translated, the gods praise Rama and shower flowers. They call it "this god-like work". The critical edition of the Sanskrit does not have that praise. It keeps the rest, and says that at that moment the dead boy lived again. In both, the sage Agastya tells Rama that he acted by dharma: "Thou hast observed piety". So the story itself counts the deed as right.
“My son, thou hast not as yet completed fourteen years.”
“But, O foremost of men, in these three Yugas the Sudras were not entitled to the virtues of devout penances. O foremost of men, the degraded caste—the Sudras, during thy regeme, have engaged in austere penances. And in the Kali Yuga asceticism shall be established in the Sudras. O king, even in the Dwāpara, devout penances for Sudras were considered as impiety, what to speak of the Tretā age. O king, one Sudra, under the influence of vicious understanding, has begun devout penances within thy kingdom. And for that reason this boy hath met with death.”
“Art thou a Brahman, or an irrepresible Kshatrya or the third caste Vaisya or a Sudra? Do thou speak the truth and thou shalt be crowned with auspiciousness.”
“O highly illustrious Rāma, I am born in the race of Sudras; and with a view to reach the region of the celestials with my body I am going through these austere penances. O Kākuthstha, I shall never utter a falsehood since I am willing to conquer the the region of gods. I am a Sudra and my name is Sambuka." The Sudra ascetic having said this, Rāma took out of scabbard a beautiful sharp sword and chopped off his head therewith. And that Sudra being slain, Indra, Agni and other celestials praised him again and again and showered flowers. And being greatly delighted, the celestials said to Rāma, having truth for his prowess:—"O thou of a great mind, thou hast nicely performed this god-like work.”
The critical edition of the Sanskrit keeps the story. Narada says that no Shudra has the right to hard penance in that age, and that a Shudra's penance has caused the boy's death (65.21-23). Rama asks the ascetic his birth and tells him to speak the truth (66.14-17). While the Shudra is still speaking, Rama draws his sword and cuts off his head, and at that moment the boy is joined with life again (67.4-5). Agastya says the gods speak of Rama as the one who struck down the Shudra, and that by dharma he has given the Brahmin's son life (67.10). The praise and flowers of the gods, found in the traditional text, are not in this edition.
“The celestials informed me that thou wert coming having slain the Sudra ascetic. Thou hast observed piety and hast given back life unto the dead child of the Brahman.”
A Brahmin's son dies while still a boy
Narada says a Shudra's penance is the cause
Rama finds the ascetic and asks about his birth
The ascetic tells the truth: he was born a Shudra
Rama cuts off his head
The dead boy lives again
Agastya tells Rama he acted by dharma
Is the last book Valmiki's?
Many Hindus answer that this story is not Valmiki's. They hold that the Uttara Kanda was added to the epic later, and many scholars agree. Griffith calls it "merely an appendix or a supplement". Tulsidas does not tell the story at all. In his poem, "There was no premature death" in Rama's reign. Four things can be said in answer. First, this reply does not touch Vali, whose story stands in the fourth book. Second, the story is old, and Hindus received it as Rama's. The critical edition of the Sanskrit, which compares the manuscripts, keeps it. Kalidasa told it in about the fifth century, and Bhavabhuti put it on the stage in about the eighth. Griffith adds that Indian scholars "unanimously ascribe this Last Book to Válmíki". Third, the rule behind the story is not found in this book alone, as the next section shows. Fourth, suppose the book was added. Then for many centuries the epic taught as Rama's a deed that was never his. The reader is left to sort the true Rama from the added one. The page "Were the Vedas preserved?" looks at such changes.
“Even if the story were not complete, the conclusion of the last Canto of the sixth Book, evidently the work of a later hand than Válmíki's, which speaks of Ráma's glorious and happy reign and promises blessings to those who read and hear the Rámáyan, would be sufficient to show that, when these verses were added, the poem was considered to be finished. The Uttarakáṇḍa or Last Book is merely an appendix or a supplement and relates only events antecedent and subsequent to those described in the original poem. Indian scholars however, led by reverential love of tradition, unanimously ascribe this Last Book to Válmíki, and regard it as part of the Rámáyan.”
“There was no premature death and no sickness even, but every one was comely and sound of body.”
The critical edition of the Sanskrit keeps the story. Narada says that no Shudra has the right to hard penance in that age, and that a Shudra's penance has caused the boy's death (65.21-23). Rama asks the ascetic his birth and tells him to speak the truth (66.14-17). While the Shudra is still speaking, Rama draws his sword and cuts off his head, and at that moment the boy is joined with life again (67.4-5). Agastya says the gods speak of Rama as the one who struck down the Shudra, and that by dharma he has given the Brahmin's son life (67.10). The praise and flowers of the gods, found in the traditional text, are not in this edition.
Kalidasa's poem on Rama's family tells the same story. The ascetic names himself Shambuka, a Shudra seeking the place of the gods. He has no right to penance, so Rama judges that his head must be cut off. The poem then says that, punished by the king himself, the Shudra gained the path of the good, which his hard penance could not give him, since it overstepped his own path.
In this Sanskrit play Rama enters with his sword raised "from a motive of mercy". He tells his own right hand to let the sword fall on the Shudra ascetic, so that the dead Brahmin boy may live. The stage direction reads "reluctantly striking". Shambuka then appears as a heavenly spirit and thanks Rama, saying that even death from the good carries men across to bliss. Rama tells him to enjoy the fruit of his penance.
| If the last book is | Then |
|---|---|
| Valmiki's own | The story of Shambuka stands in the epic as Hindus received it. |
| A later addition | For many centuries the epic taught as Rama's a deed that was never his. |
| Either one | Vali's story stands in the fourth book. |
An example for whom?
The text names no wrong by Shambuka except his penance, and that penance was wrong because of his birth. So the story is about which births may take this path to heaven. The rule is not found in one book alone. The Gita lists one duty for the Shudra: "the natural duty of Sûdras, too, consists in service" (18:44). Hindu teachers answer that devotion is open to every birth, and the Gita says so (9:32). But then the ways to God (﷾) are still shared out by birth: one is open, and one is closed. Now try to follow Rama here. A king could copy him only by punishing a man for worship that his birth forbade. A man born a Shudra could not copy him at all. He could only stand where Shambuka stood. An example that depends on your birth is not an example for every person. Some answer that Rama is the Lord, so these deeds are beyond us. But then they are not ours to copy. If he is a man, as he says when he deems himself "a mortal man", the question returns: can these deeds be copied? Either way, the reader needs another pattern for life.
“But, O foremost of men, in these three Yugas the Sudras were not entitled to the virtues of devout penances. O foremost of men, the degraded caste—the Sudras, during thy regeme, have engaged in austere penances. And in the Kali Yuga asceticism shall be established in the Sudras. O king, even in the Dwāpara, devout penances for Sudras were considered as impiety, what to speak of the Tretā age. O king, one Sudra, under the influence of vicious understanding, has begun devout penances within thy kingdom. And for that reason this boy hath met with death.”
“O highly illustrious Rāma, I am born in the race of Sudras; and with a view to reach the region of the celestials with my body I am going through these austere penances. O Kākuthstha, I shall never utter a falsehood since I am willing to conquer the the region of gods. I am a Sudra and my name is Sambuka." The Sudra ascetic having said this, Rāma took out of scabbard a beautiful sharp sword and chopped off his head therewith. And that Sudra being slain, Indra, Agni and other celestials praised him again and again and showered flowers. And being greatly delighted, the celestials said to Rāma, having truth for his prowess:—"O thou of a great mind, thou hast nicely performed this god-like work.”
“The duties of Brâhmanas, Kshatriyas, and Vaisyas, and of Sûdras, too, O terror of your foes! are distinguished according to the qualities born of nature. Tranquillity, restraint of the senses, penance, purity, forgiveness, straightforwardness, also knowledge, experience, and belief (in a future world), this is the natural duty of Brâhmanas. Valour, glory, courage, dexterity, not slinking away from battle, gifts, exercise of lordly power, this is the natural duty of Kshatriyas. Agriculture, tending cattle, trade, (this) is the natural duty of Vaisyas. And the natural duty of Sûdras, too, consists in service.”
“For, O son of Prithâ! even those who are of sinful birth, women, Vaisyas, and Sûdras likewise, resorting to me, attain the supreme goal.”
“Dost thou not yet, supremely wise, Thy heavenly nature recognize?’ They ceased: and Ráma thus began: ‘I deem myself a mortal man. Of old Ikshváku's line, I spring From Daśaratha Kosal's king.’ He ceased: and Brahmá's self replied: ‘O cast the idle thought aside. Thou art the Lord Náráyaṇ, thou The God to whom all creatures bow.”
Rama is held up as the ideal man.
If he is the Lord?
Then these deeds are not ours to copy.
If he is a man?
Then the question returns: can these deeds be copied?
The hidden shot
In Valmiki, the only ground Rama gives is that the man struck counts as game.
Shambuka
A man born a Shudra could not copy him at all.
So what is left?
The reader needs another pattern for life.
A blind man, and a rebuke from God (﷾)
The Qur'an tells of a seeker too. A blind man came to the Prophet (ﷺ) asking to learn, while he was speaking with the leaders of Mecca. The Prophet (ﷺ) frowned and turned away. Yet a whole chapter opens by correcting him for it: "(The Prophet) frowned and turned away" (80:1). It says the blind man was the one who came "striving earnestly". The Prophet (ﷺ) then recited those words to his own followers. So in Islam even a frown at a seeker is corrected, and the one corrected is God's (﷾) Messenger himself. That matters for an example. Islam never places him above morality, and the Qur'an keeps the rebuke for every reader to see. The seeker was Ibn Umm Maktum, as Aisha reports (Tirmidhi 3331). Later he called the adhan, the call to prayer, for the Prophet's (ﷺ) community (Bukhari 617). So the man who was turned away for a moment ended by calling others to prayer. The page "Why does the Qur'an criticise Muhammad (ﷺ) if he wrote it?" says more.
“(The Prophet) frowned and turned away, Because there came to him the blind man (interrupting). But what could tell thee but that perchance he might grow (in spiritual understanding)?- Or that he might receive admonition, and the teaching might profit him? As to one who regards Himself as self-sufficient, To him dost thou attend; Though it is no blame to thee if he grow not (in spiritual understanding). But as to him who came to thee striving earnestly, And with fear (in his heart), Of him wast thou unmindful.”
Aisha reports that "He frowned and turned away" was revealed about Ibn Umm Maktum, the blind man. He came to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) asking to be guided, while a leading man of the idolaters was with him, and the Messenger turned to the other man.
Ibn Umar reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said: Bilal calls the adhan while it is still night, so eat and drink until Ibn Umm Maktum calls it. Salim, who passes the report on, adds that Ibn Umm Maktum was a blind man who did not call the adhan until he was told that dawn had come.
| In each story | The Uttara Kanda | The Qur'an |
|---|---|---|
| The seeker | Shambuka, an ascetic born a Shudra | A blind man who came to learn |
| What happened to him | Rama cut off his head | The Prophet (ﷺ) frowned and turned away |
| What the text says next | Agastya tells Rama he acted by dharma | God (﷾) corrected His Messenger |
| What became of the seeker | In Kalidasa, his punishment gave him the path of the good | He called the adhan, the call to prayer |
No one is shut out by birth
The Qur'an speaks to all mankind. It says that "the most honoured of you in the sight of Allah is (he who is) the most righteous of you" (49:13). The Prophet (ﷺ) said that God (﷾) does not look at faces or wealth, but at hearts and deeds (Muslim 2564). Bilal was a freed slave, and Umar, the second caliph, used to call him our master (Bukhari 3754). God (﷾) says: "I listen to the prayer of every suppliant when he calleth on Me" (2:186). So no birth bars anyone from prayer, fasting or the Qur'an. In the story, a child dies because of a stranger's penance. The Qur'an says: "no bearer of burdens can bear the burden of another" (6:164). Justice too is one rule, "whether it be (against) rich or poor" (4:135). The door that was closed to Shambuka is open to every reader of this page.
“O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other (not that ye may despise (each other). Verily the most honoured of you in the sight of Allah is (he who is) the most righteous of you. And Allah has full knowledge and is well acquainted (with all things).”
Abu Huraira reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said: Allah does not look at your faces or your wealth, but He looks at your hearts and your deeds.
Jabir ibn Abdullah reports that Umar used to say: Abu Bakr is our master, and he set free our master, meaning Bilal.
“When My servants ask thee concerning Me, I am indeed close (to them): I listen to the prayer of every suppliant when he calleth on Me: Let them also, with a will, Listen to My call, and believe in Me: That they may walk in the right way.”
“Say: "Shall I seek for (my) Cherisher other than Allah, when He is the Cherisher of all things (that exist)? Every soul draws the meed of its acts on none but itself: no bearer of burdens can bear the burden of another. Your goal in the end is towards Allah: He will tell you the truth of the things wherein ye disputed."”
“O ye who believe! stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses to Allah, even as against yourselves, or your parents, or your kin, and whether it be (against) rich or poor: for Allah can best protect both. Follow not the lusts (of your hearts), lest ye swerve, and if ye distort (justice) or decline to do justice, verily Allah is well-acquainted with all that ye do.”
A life anyone can follow
Islam teaches that God (﷾) is "the Holy One" (59:23), and that "Allah commands justice, the doing of good" (16:90). He guides through men, so that their lives can be followed. The Prophet (ﷺ) was told to say: "I am but a man like yourselves, (but) the inspiration has come to me" (18:110). His wife Aisha said that his character was the Qur'an (Muslim 746). So his words and his deeds point the same way. Love of God (﷾) is shown by following His Messenger (3:31). Islam is a complete way of life: worship, family, work and justice follow one example, open to every person. The Qur'an says who he is for. He is "a beautiful pattern (of conduct) for any one whose hope is in Allah and the Final Day" (33:21). And it says to him: "And thou (standest) on an exalted standard of character." (68:4).
“Allah is He, than Whom there is no other god;- Who knows (all things) both secret and open; He, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. Allah is He, than Whom there is no other god;- the Sovereign, the Holy One, the Source of Peace (and Perfection), the Guardian of Faith, the Preserver of Safety, the Exalted in Might, the Irresistible, the Supreme: Glory to Allah! (High is He) above the partners they attribute to Him. He is Allah, the Creator, the Evolver, the Bestower of Forms (or Colours). To Him belong the Most Beautiful Names: whatever is in the heavens and on earth, doth declare His Praises and Glory: and He is the Exalted in Might, the Wise.”
“Allah commands justice, the doing of good, and liberality to kith and kin, and He forbids all shameful deeds, and injustice and rebellion: He instructs you, that ye may receive admonition.”
“Say: "I am but a man like yourselves, (but) the inspiration has come to me, that your Allah is one Allah: whoever expects to meet his Lord, let him work righteousness, and, in the worship of his Lord, admit no one as partner.”
Sa'd ibn Hisham asked Aisha about the character of the Prophet (ﷺ). She asked him whether he did not read the Qur'an, and said that the character of the Prophet was the Qur'an.
“Say: "If ye do love Allah, Follow me: Allah will love you and forgive you your sins: For Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful."”
“Ye have indeed in the Messenger of Allah a beautiful pattern (of conduct) for any one whose hope is in Allah and the Final Day, and who engages much in the Praise of Allah.”
“And thou (standest) on an exalted standard of character.”
The replies, answered
Ramayana, Kishkindha Kanda, canto 18 — the charge against Vali (Griffith's numbering)
“Thou, Báli, in thy brother’s life Hast robbed him of his wedded wife, And keepest, scorning ancient right, His Rumá for thine own delight.”
Cited for
Vali took his brother's wife. Rama punished a sinner, as a king must.
The response
This page does not say Vali was innocent. Vali asked two things: why he was killed, and why in this way. The law answers the first. For the second, Rama says hunters strike from hiding, and "thou art a monkey". A person cannot be under the law of marriage and also be game.
Where it lands — The crime explains the penalty, but not the hidden shot, and that is the part a follower would have to copy.
Ralph T. H. Griffith, The Rámáyan of Válmíki, vol. 5 (1874), p. 315 — on the end of Book VI and the Uttarakanda
“Even if the story were not complete, the conclusion of the last Canto of the sixth Book, evidently the work of a later hand than Válmíki's, which speaks of Ráma's glorious and happy reign and promises blessings to those who read and hear the Rámáyan, would be sufficient to show that, when these verses were added, the poem was considered to be finished. The Uttarakáṇḍa or Last Book is merely an appendix or a supplement and relates only events antecedent and subsequent to those described in the original poem. Indian scholars however, led by reverential love of tradition, unanimously ascribe this Last Book to Válmíki, and regard it as part of the Rámáyan.”
Cited for
The Uttara Kanda is a later addition, so the Shambuka story is not Valmiki's.
The response
Griffith, who thought it an appendix, adds: "Indian scholars however, led by reverential love of tradition, unanimously ascribe this Last Book to Válmíki". The critical edition of the Sanskrit keeps the story. Kalidasa and Bhavabhuti told it as Rama's. If it is later, then the Ramayana grew after its poet. The page "Were the Vedas preserved?" looks at such changes. And Vali's story is in the fourth book.
Where it lands — Either the deed is in the epic Hindus received from Valmiki, or that epic was added to after him. Vali's story stands either way.
Tulsidas, Ramcharitmanas, book VII (The Sequel) — Rama's reign
“There was no premature death and no sickness even, but every one was comely and sound of body.”
Cited for
The Rama I follow is Tulsidas's, and his poem has no Shambuka.
The response
Tulsidas wrote in the sixteenth century. His poem leaves the story out, and it leaves out the plea of the hunt too. But it keeps Bali's complaint that Rama took his life "as a huntsman would that of a wild beast". The older tellings, from the epic to Kalidasa, hold what Tulsidas left out.
Where it lands — A later poem can leave a story out, but it cannot take it out of the older books.
Ramayana, Uttara Kanda, section 87 — Narada's explanation (Dutt's numbering)
“But, O foremost of men, in these three Yugas the Sudras were not entitled to the virtues of devout penances. O foremost of men, the degraded caste—the Sudras, during thy regeme, have engaged in austere penances. And in the Kali Yuga asceticism shall be established in the Sudras. O king, even in the Dwāpara, devout penances for Sudras were considered as impiety, what to speak of the Tretā age. O king, one Sudra, under the influence of vicious understanding, has begun devout penances within thy kingdom. And for that reason this boy hath met with death.”
Cited for
The rule was for an earlier age. In the Kali Yuga, Shudras may practise asceticism.
The response
Then the deed cannot be copied today, and that is this page's answer. In the Qur'an, no rule of worship depends on birth. It says that "the most honoured of you in the sight of Allah is (he who is) the most righteous of you" (49:13).
Where it lands — A deed that fits only one age is not an example for all people.
Kalidasa, Raghuvamsha 15.50-53 — the Shambuka story retold
Kalidasa's poem on Rama's family tells the same story. The ascetic names himself Shambuka, a Shudra seeking the place of the gods. He has no right to penance, so Rama judges that his head must be cut off. The poem then says that, punished by the king himself, the Shudra gained the path of the good, which his hard penance could not give him, since it overstepped his own path.
Cited for
Rama's sword gave Shambuka heaven, so no harm was done.
The response
His own penance is what the text forbids. Kalidasa says he gained by punishment what that penance could not give him. So the way stays shut to him until the sword falls. The Qur'an needs no such death: "I listen to the prayer of every suppliant when he calleth on Me" (2:186).
Where it lands — Even on this reading, a man born a Shudra may not seek heaven by the penance open to higher births.
Ramayana, Aranya Kanda, canto 75 — Rama and the votaress Shabari (Griffith's numbering)
“That holy sphere the dame attained, By depth of contemplation gained, Where roam high saints with spirits pure In bliss that shall for aye endure.”
Cited for
Rama honoured Guha and Shabari. The Shambuka story goes against his character.
The response
The epic records both. The last book does not treat Shambuka's death as a lapse: Agastya says "Thou hast observed piety". So the epic gives two answers on who may do penance, and it does not say which one the follower should keep.
Where it lands — The epic approves both, so the follower is left to choose between them by his own judgement.
Qur'an 33:50 — Surat al-Ahzab (The Clans), verse 50
“O Prophet! We have made lawful to thee thy wives to whom thou hast paid their dowers; and those whom thy right hand possesses out of the prisoners of war whom Allah has assigned to thee; and daughters of thy paternal uncles and aunts, and daughters of thy maternal uncles and aunts, who migrated (from Makka) with thee; and any believing woman who dedicates her soul to the Prophet if the Prophet wishes to wed her;- this only for thee, and not for the Believers (at large); We know what We have appointed for them as to their wives and the captives whom their right hands possess;- in order that there should be no difficulty for thee. And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.”
Cited for
Rama had one wife, and your Prophet (ﷺ) had many.
The response
That is a question about lawful marriage, and the page "Why did the Prophet (ﷺ) marry so many wives, and more than four?" answers it. This page's question is who can follow an example. The Qur'an corrects the Prophet (ﷺ) in public (80:1-10), and it calls him a pattern for "any one whose hope is in Allah" (33:21).
Where it lands — Islam never places its Prophet (ﷺ) above morality, and it opens his example to every birth.
Perspectives
Rama kept the law
Vali committed a grave sin, and Rama punished him for it as the law requires. A king who lets such a sin pass shares its guilt. Vali himself accepted this before he died.
Rama's own reply in the Ramayana, and the Hindu readers who hold to it
Vali took his brother's wife, and the law's penalty for this is death. Rama was carrying out that law for his king.
Rebuttal
That answers why Vali was punished. It does not answer why he was struck from hiding while fighting someone else. The epic's only answer to that is the hunt, and a man under the law is not game.
Vali himself accepted Rama's words and freed him from blame.
Rebuttal
The epic does say so. He says it as he lies dying, and he goes on to ask Rama to care for his son. This page does not ask whether Vali was at peace. It asks what rule a follower can draw from the deed, and the reply leaves that rule as the hunt.
In Tulsidas's telling, Rama answers with the law alone. Bali accepts it gladly, and Rama even offers him his life back.
Rebuttal
Tulsidas wrote in the sixteenth century, long after Valmiki, and he leaves out the plea of the hunt that Valmiki gives. Yet he keeps the tree and the complaint. His Bali says Rama took his life "as a huntsman would that of a wild beast".
A popular telling says Vali had a boon that took half the strength of anyone who faced him, so Rama had to hide.
Rebuttal
Rama gives no such reason in Valmiki's epic, and none in Tulsidas's poem. He gives the law, his promise and the hunt. A reason added later shows that readers felt the question Vali asked.
Manu's rule about one who is fighting another is a rule of war. Rama was punishing a sinner, so the rule does not apply.
Rebuttal
Rama himself says Vali was killed "in the conflict". And if this was punishment, the law still gives no reason for hiding. Rama had to turn to the hunt for that.
Rama is the Lord
Rama is Vishnu come down to earth. His deeds are his divine play (lila), and they carry a meaning we cannot judge. Those he killed were blessed by it.
The Vaishnava traditions, which worship Rama as Vishnu
Brahma tells Rama that he is Narayana. It is also believed that every creature killed by Rama at once gained bliss.
Rebuttal
Then these deeds are not ours to copy, so they give no pattern for a life. And Rama does not plead that he is the Lord when Vali questions him. He pleads the law, his king and the hunt.
These stories are divine play or allegory. They should not be read as moral rules.
Rebuttal
The text treats them as events and as moral problems. If Vali's death were allegory, Rama's reply would say so. Instead it cites a brother's wife, a king's command and Manu. And the Bhagavata says the mortal descent was also to teach mankind.
The Uttara Kanda is a later addition
The story of Shambuka comes from the last book, which was added after Valmiki. It is not the true Ramayana. Tulsidas leaves it out, and in the third book Rama honours the penance of Shabari.
A reply many Hindus give, with many modern scholars
Griffith, the epic's translator, calls the last book merely an appendix or a supplement.
Rebuttal
Griffith adds that Indian scholars unanimously ascribe the book to Valmiki. The critical edition of the Sanskrit keeps the story. And if the book is later, then the Ramayana was added to, and Hindus were taught the deed as Rama's for centuries.
Tulsidas's Ramcharitmanas, the telling many Hindus know best, does not tell this story. It says there was no premature death in Rama's reign.
Rebuttal
Leaving a story out does not answer it. Tulsidas wrote in the sixteenth century. Kalidasa, about the fifth century, told it as Rama's deed, and Bhavabhuti, about the eighth, put it on the stage. So the older Hindu poets took it as Rama's own.
Set the last book aside, and nothing on this page stands.
Rebuttal
Vali's story stands in the fourth book, which is not the disputed one. Setting the last book aside does not touch it.
It belonged to its age
The ban on Shudra penance was the rule of an earlier age, and the text itself says it would pass. Devotion was always open to all. Rama honoured people of low birth elsewhere, and Shambuka reached heaven in the end.
A common Hindu reply, from the text's own teaching of the four ages
The text itself says that in the Kali Yuga, the present age, asceticism will be established in the Shudras. So the rule does not apply today.
Rebuttal
Then the deed cannot be followed today, which is this page's answer. A pattern that fits one age is not a pattern for all people.
Shambuka's fault was his aim, to win heaven in his own body, and not his birth.
Rebuttal
The text gives the reason, and it is birth. Narada says Shudras had no right to penance in that age. Rama asks only which class the ascetic was born to. Kalidasa says he had no right to penance.
Only the hard penance of that age was closed to Shudras. Devotion is open to all: the Gita says that Shudras too reach the supreme goal (9:32).
Rebuttal
Then the ways to God (﷾) are still shared out by birth. One is open, and in this story the other is closed on pain of death. In Islam the same prayer and the same fast are for every believer, and honour goes by righteousness alone (49:13).
You are judging an ancient king by modern morals.
Rebuttal
The difficulty is old. Vali raises his question inside the epic. Bhavabhuti, about the eighth century, has Rama strike "reluctantly". And Griffith's note shows that the plea of the hunt troubled the epic's own translator.
Shambuka reached heaven. Kalidasa says he gained the path of the good, and in Bhavabhuti's play he rises as a heavenly spirit and thanks Rama.
Rebuttal
Kalidasa says he gained by punishment what his own penance could not give him. So his worship stays forbidden, and only the sword opens the way. The Qur'an says God (﷾) listens to every suppliant (2:186).
Rama embraced Guha, a forest king, and honoured the votaress Shabari and her penance. He looked down on no one for their birth.
Rebuttal
The epic does record this. But the last book never calls Shambuka's death a lapse: Agastya says Rama acted by dharma. So the epic gives two answers on who may do penance, and it does not tell the follower which to keep. The Qur'an gives one rule for every birth (49:13).
Islam is no different
Islam's example needs defending too. Rama kept to one wife, while Muhammad (ﷺ) had several. He fought wars. And Muslims keep caste as well.
Replies Hindus give to Muslims
Rama had one wife. The Prophet (ﷺ) married many.
Rebuttal
His marriages were lawful by God's (﷾) own word. The page "Why did the Prophet (ﷺ) marry so many wives, and more than four?" answers this. Islam also never sets him above morality: the Qur'an corrects him openly (80:1-10).
The Prophet (ﷺ) also fought, and men were killed.
Rebuttal
He fought those who made war on him. The Qur'an set the rule: "Fight in the cause of Allah those who fight you, but do not transgress limits" (2:190). The page "Was the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) a warmonger?" answers in full. No one was killed for the class he was born into.
Muslims in South Asia keep caste too.
Rebuttal
Some do keep caste-like ranks, and they go against their own scripture when they do (49:13). The page "Isn't there caste among Muslims too?" looks at this. No verse of the Qur'an closes a way of worship to anyone by birth.
The Islamic perspective
God (﷾) guides through messengers who are men, so that their lives can be followed by anyone. No birth bars a person from worship. Even the Prophet (ﷺ) is corrected by God (﷾), and his words and deeds agree.
The Qur'an calls the Prophet (ﷺ) a beautiful pattern of conduct, and says he stands on an exalted standard of character.
The Qur'an corrects the Prophet (ﷺ) for frowning at a blind man who came to learn. That man later called the adhan.
The most honoured person before God (﷾) is the most righteous, whatever their birth, and He listens to every suppliant.
No one bears another's burden: each person answers for his own deeds.
The Prophet (ﷺ) was a man like others, to whom revelation came, and his character was the Qur'an.