"Neither," Arul says finally. "You were a king who forgot that strength without mercy is a curse. Rama did not kill you for his brother. He killed you for the idea that no one, however powerful, stands above consequence. And the Pandavas? They didn't fight you because they saw in your ghost the mirror of their own mistakes—Duryodhana's pride, their own exile's rage."
"Vaali," she says, "was a just king. He ruled by strength. When Rama killed him from behind a tree—for his brother's sake—the land wept. The Pandavas, when they came here, felt that sorrow." pandavar bhoomi vaali pdf 27
The ghost freezes. The forest holds its breath. "Neither," Arul says finally
"One of Pandu's line?" the ghost booms. "Or one of Rama's?" He killed you for the idea that no
Arul spins. An old woman sits on a rock, weaving a garland of red flowers. Her eyes are milk-white. Blind.
Then, slowly, Vaali lowers his mace. For the first time, he looks not furious, but tired.