VIBHISHANA

VIBHISHANA

Indrajith began performing a yajna to destroy Rama and Lakshmana. Vibhishana took both Rama and Lakshmana to the place where Indrajith was performing his yajna. Indrajith was offering many human beings as sacrifice at the yajna that was being performed at the foot of the black berry tree. So long as Indrajith remained under the tree, he could wield extraordinary powers. Vibhishana told Hanuman and Lakshmana to see that Indrajith was kept away from the tree as much as possible. Hearing this, Indrajith got angry and burst out, "Oh Vibhishana! you are betraying my secrets and secrets of Lanka. You are a traitor to your race." He went on berating Vibhishana in this manner.

Vibhishana retorted indignantly, "Indrajith!it is natural for rakshasas to be abusive. But, remember that Rama is the very Embodiment of Peace. He is pure of heart, utterly free from selfishness. It is not possible for rakshasas to understand the truth about such a Divine Human Being. Rama has entered Lanka for rescuing Sita and not for seizing the country. How can one who gave up Ayodhya itself voluntarily covet Lanka? Rama has no desire for anything. For a long time, I had been warning Ravana that it is a grievous sin to kidnap other man’s wife and appealed to him to restore Sita to Rama. However, Ravana paid a deaf ear to my words. He is destroying with his own hands, his kingdom and clan. Who is to be blamed for all this? Is it me or is it your father?"

Indrajith asked, "If my father did not listen to your words, you should have remained silent and not allied yourself with our enemies. Is this kind of treachery justified?"

Vibhishana gave a fitting reply,"Indrajith!you are ignorant too, who knows nothing about truth and untruth, right and wrong. I am one who is well aware of the rules of right conduct. It is unworthy for a person to remain silent in the face of wickedness. Such inaction can destroy an entire society."

When Hanuman entered Lanka, he noticed Vibhishana. Vibhishana told Hanuman, "Hanuman! I am living amidst wicked rakshasas like the tongue surrounded by sharp teeth. How long have I to live like this?How will I secure the Grace of Rama?When will I be blessed with the bliss of being at the Divine presence. I have long been waiting for that Divine moment." Vibhishana lamented in this manner.

Then Hanuman gave to Vibhishana a significant message, "Vibhishana! Do not think that you are alone subject to these ordeals. There are many great souls who experience similar ordeals. The rakshasas constantly harass the sages,the Avathars and all the good men. However, take note of one fact. Tongue came first and the teeth which emerged later will drop away in the middle course. Likewise the rakshasas also will fall away soon. Do not have any doubt on this score!"

Hanuman then went on, "Vibhishana! You have become attached to the lotus feet of Rama. Cling on to them firmly. Either he should bless you because of your perseverance, or you should merge in him in course of time. There is no other way. It is wrong to give up in the middle. This is not the mark of a true devotee. What is devotion?. It is not mere repetition of Rama’s name endlessly. While contemplating on Rama, you must take part in the service of Rama."

Once Ravana, Kumbakarna and Vibhishana performed severe penance to invoke the presence of Brahma. Brahma appeared before them and asked them what they wanted? He said that he would grant them whatever boon they wanted. Kumbakarna wanted to ask that he should never be at anyone’s mercy (Nirdaya). But by a slip of the tongue, he asked for "Nidra" (Sleep)Brahma declared, "So be it." Ravana asked for freedom from death expect by humans because he considered them trivial beings. Vishnu then decided to come in human form to put an end to Ravana. What did Vibhishana pray for? "Oh Lord! fill my heart with compassion and make me lead a righteous life."Because of this boon, Vibhishana remained totally unaffected inspite of all the raillery and abuse by Ravana and his sons. Thus Vibhishana always remained compassionate,never yielded to hatred and anger. Since his heart was full of compassion,he secured God’s Grace and proximity to the Divine. God is so merciful that He will come ten steps towards you; if you but take one step towards him. Vibhishana, the brother of Ravana, enquired from Hanuman whether Rama will accept his homage and take him under His protecting shade. He said, "I am the brother of His worst enemy, whom He has vowed to destroy; I am a member of the demonic race; I am unacquainted with the vedas or shastras or the rituals. " Then Hanuman replied, "O you fool! Do you think that He cares for ritual correctitude or family status or scholarship? If so, how could He accept me, a monkey." That settled the matter. Vibhishana was assured of Grace.

Ravana’s brother Vibhishana was a great Satwic individual. From the time of his early childhood, he was spending all his time in thinking of the name of the Lord. When Vibhishana was in penance, Brahma appeared and asked him what boon he wanted. Vibhishana, inturn, said that he only wanted to have his mind fixed at the lotus feet of the Lord. He prayed that he be given the strength by which he will always be at the feet of the Lord. Because Vibhishana had a satwic mind and a satwic heart, he could reach Ramachandra. Vibhishana gave up and broke his connections with all his brothers, to his property and his wealth and reached the feet of Ramachandra.

Vibhishana is another example of full surrender. Ravana had a gang of courtiers and ministers who catered to his whims and flattered his vanity. While each of them advised him to challenge Rama in open war and keep Sita for himself, only Vibhishana, his brother, chastised him for his wilfulness and lust and urged him to save himself, his kingdom and his kith and kin by restoring Sita unharmed to her Lord. When Vibhishana went over to Rama, Rama knew that he had a pure heart that could not survive in the poisonous atmosphere of Lanka. So He took him and saved him.

He decided that all his wealth and all that belonged to him could be sacrificed for the purpose of getting the Grace of Ramachandra. If one has complete faith in God, one can achieve any difficult task.

The bad qualities that were in Ravana were spreading and giving their evil results to the entire Lanka and they spread even to Vibhishana who was a satwic person. When Vibhishana went to surrender to Rama and seek his protection, people like Sugriva, Angada and others who were with Rama asked whether Vibhishana, who was the brother of Ravana, would also not have the same bad qualities which were characteristic of his brother. The reason for this suspicion and for getting a bad name was the company in which Vibhishana lived.

During Krishna’s childhood in Gokula, once a new daughter-in-law came to the village of Gokula. When this daughter-in-law came, the older people described to her the beauty and greatness of Krishna. Even before she came to this village, Niraja, the new daughter-in-law knew about the greatness of Krishna and she was longing to see Krishna. Niraja’s mother-in-law was a very harsh woman. She gave the injunction that Niraja should not see Krishna and should not even utter the name of Krishna. The reason for this is that there was a feeling amongst the people that by playing various games with these girls, Krishna was actually spoiling the reputation of various families. Krishna at that time was a seven year old boy and there was no room whatsoever for entertaining such thoughts, but because of certain ill feelings, there were people who were spreading such irresponsible views and stories about Krishna. Such bad people existed even at that time. In truth there was no basis for such statements. There was a custom in that village according to which Nanda was regarded as a leader of the village, and all the people used the light in Nanda’s house to start the lights in their own house. It was considered auspicious if a light was got from the house of the leader.

One day the mother-in-law of Niraja was having fever and therefore Niraja was asked to go and light the lamp and bring it back. She was told that she should not enter the house of Nanda and not attempt to look at Krishna. Niraja felt very happy that she had this opportunity of going to Nanda’s house and atleast look at the sacred house in which Krishna lived. But when Niraja went there, all her attention and all her thoughts were immersed in Krishna and she was waiting for the opportunity of Krishna coming there at that time. She was so immersed in the thought of Krishna that she was unmindful of the fact that the wick was already lighted and that the fire had spread on to her hand. Yasoda came out and saw this and said that Niraja was apparently new in the village and was surprised to see that her hand was burning and yet she was not mindful of the event. At these words of Yasoda, Niraja regained her consciousness and was begging Yasoda not to tell about this incident to her in-laws as they would only harm her if they come to know about this. She explained that she was lost in the vision of Krishna. While she was saying these words, other gopikas quickly rushed in and saw this event. The Gopikas who surrounded Niraja were not silent and they were quick in reporting this incident to all the others in the village. When the gopikas were singing like this, Niraja was very much afraid of the consequence and worried as to what her mother-in-law would say, but nevetheless she felt happy. All this was not as important as the darshan of Krishna which she had, and she was prepared for the consequences. Such love is the best with which to approach the Lord.

Niraja was warned against the stratagem of Krishna, when she came to Brindavan from a distant village, as the bride of a Gopala. In spite of all warnings, however, she saw Krishna during the Govardhanagiri festival and when she saw Him, she surrendered her heart to the Lord. She passed through great ordeals on account of this spiritual attachment, but she bore it all with courage. She had seen Krishna first at the foot of Govardhana hill playing sweetly on the flute. So, she used to go often to the bower where she first saw him, to inhale the holy air. Years passed thus. She was the foremost among those gopis who tried to curb the horses that drew Akrura’s Chariot with Krishna in it, away from Brindavan to Mathura. She suffered silently the separation for years and years, until one day she was exhausted with the agony when Krishna appeared before her in the self-same bower, where she was. He fondled the gopi and consoled her. However she had one request to make. She longed to hear the Divine flute, before she died on Krishna’s lap. The Lord said, "I have not brought it" but, just to grant her the boon, He broke a length of reed from the bower, made it in a trice into a flute and played on it a tune that melted Niraja’s heart into tears, which washed her soul away. She passed into the Krishna thathwa the moment the song ended. And Krishna, too gave up the flute that he had made for her sake. The bower came to be called Vamsikunj, in memory of that flute that it gave birth to.

After the Kurukshetra war, Krishna went to Uttara (Abimanya’s wife). Hearing that Krishna was leaving for Dwaraka, Uttara ran towards Krishna and fell at his feet. "Lord! Since Abhimanyu’s death, I have been trying to bear the pain that is gnawing at my bosom. There is a fire burning in my womb. I can not Divine the reason. You should not leave at all for Dwaraka now. You must stay. You have been the protector of my forbearers for many generations. You were the saviours of the Pandavas. The child in my womb is the only hope of the Pandava clan. If any thing untoward happens to that child, the Pandava dynasty itself will be extinguished. Therefore you must not leave." So saying, Uttara firmly clung to Krishna’s feet.

Krishna was immediately moved by Uttara’s deep devotion. The journey to Dwaraka was given up. Krishna made a promise to Uttara. "I will not leave for Dwaraka till your child is born", He assured.