ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Vali (Ramayana)

Okay kiddo, do you know the story of Ramayana where Lord Rama goes on a long journey to rescue his beloved wife Sita from the demon king Ravana?

Well, in that story, there is a character named Vali who is a monkey king. He is very strong and has a special power where he can make himself invisible. He also has a brother named Sugriva who he loves very much.

But there is a big problem. Vali's own brother has been banished by him and he needs help to get his throne back. So when he sees Lord Rama and his brother Lakshmana passing by, he thinks they could be useful to him and asks them to help him fight his brother and get his throne back.

Lord Rama agrees to help Vali and they all go deep into the forest to confront Vali's brother. But the fight is not like any normal fight because Vali is so strong and fast that it seems impossible for anyone to beat him.

So Lord Rama comes up with a plan. He tells Vali to fight his brother while Lord Rama shoots an arrow at them. But Lord Rama's arrow is special. It has been blessed by a sage and will automatically kill whoever is hit by it.

Vali agrees to this plan and starts fighting his brother while Lord Rama hides behind a tree and shoots his arrow. But something strange happens. While Vali is fighting his brother, Lord Rama's arrow hits Vali instead of his brother.

Vali is very surprised and hurt. He asks Lord Rama why he shot him and not his brother. Lord Rama explains that he shot him because he was wrong to banish his own brother, Sugriva, and take his throne.

Vali realizes his mistake and apologizes to Lord Rama. He also gives his kingdom to his brother Sugriva as a way of making things right.

So you see, Vali was a character in Ramayana who learned an important lesson about forgiveness and doing what is right.