The 'jaijaikaar' from outside, resounded in all directions. The walls of the golden city of Lanka emanated a glow, so glaring that even the sun's fiery brightness would have paled into insignificance. The hollering of the guards continued alongside the revelry of the subjects of the kingdom - who knew no dearth of wealth or power. The entertainment lounge of the palace had come to life once again, with the jingling of anklets heard as much as the ensemble of instruments trying to match an unknown rhythm. The reverberation of a victory dance filled the air, while the retinue of servants and other palace attendants were hustling to add another layer of golden sheen with exotic fragrances to the altar that led to the entrance of the main court of the king. Lankeshwar was synonymous with behemoth luxury - every inch of Lanka had to glisten with this truth. But in the midst of all this din of power, wealth and supremacy, a tiny nook in the palace - was echoing with "Aum Vishnave namaha" mantra. This nook, enshrined by a tall statue of Lord Vishnu held the sanctity of a true devotee - Vibhishan, the younger brother of the demon king Raavan, who had adorned this shrine with sandalwood fragrance, lotuses and Tulsi strings - This nook was a stark contrast to the lavish extravaganza which oozed from every corner of the palace of Lankeshwar.
While Vibhishana continued his prayers and chants, as customary for him during the sandhyakaal - the gatekeeper to his room walked towards him, cleared his throat. He was hesitant to disrupt his master's prayers but it had to be done. "Emm, M'lord", he uttered in a slow yet audible tone. Vibhishana still sat unperturbed, with his eyes closed, continuing his prayers. The attendant's voice rose a note higher, "M'lord, Lankapati is on his way to your quarters. He is keen on meeting you." Vibhishana, opened his eyes slowly, offered a bow before the idol, in a way of culminating his prayers. He looked at the informant, who repeated in a voice of awe and fear, "The king is on his way here, m'lord". Vibhishana acknowledged the message and dismissed the attendant. He put back the tulsi strings in its rightful place in the shrine, and donned his silken stole to welcome the king, his elder brother. Vibhishana knew that Raavan despised him for being a Vishnu devotee. But the demon king endured it out of filial duty for his brother- anyone else in his Vibhishana's place would have headed to the deathly gallows for practising Vishnu-Bhakti. Raavan had declared himself as the formidable, inimitable, supreme power of the three worlds. He had defeated the gods, the netherworld was under his control ,the earthlings quaked in fear even at the mention of his name.Though Vibhishan acknowledged his fame, he inwardly wished that his brother would come to his senses, and shake off that intoxication. He would reason calmly many a time, "Brother, you are learned, a great devotee of Shiva, well versed in the scriptures. Does it augur well for you to wreak destruction in the name of victory over other kingdoms?" Vibhishana continued, "Thousands of captives, including women- you are destroying the merit gained by your years of penance!" "BAHHHHHH, Vibhishan, you belittle our lineage, by speaking such!", thundered Raavan. Vibhishan fell silent. Ravan continued, "Instead of praying, you should be by my side, blowing the conch of victory in the battlefield" Raavan left Vibhishana's chamber in a huff.
Vibhishana couldn't help wondering how Dashanan, the exponent of Vedas and Shastras, the composer of Shiv Tandav stotra, could become the demonic Raavan. The ten heads that represented his mastery of the four vedas and six shastras, were now prey to the ten negative qualities of lust, anger, ahankaar, pride ...etc
He ruminated, "My brother's ínsatiable pursuit for power and pleasure has reduced his stature to that of a mere demon- overpowered by his own vices. Why does he refuse to see through the truth - that avarice is like a bottomless pitcher that can never be filled to the brim . He is now like a drunken man, who wields the goblet of an intoxicating nectar that promises immortality, but turns into a slow poison of self-destruction. I hope he realizes this before it is too late." That Vibhishana's fears for his brother would turn into a glaring reality, surged with the tide of time. It screamed with the wails of Surpankha, bleeding profusely from her nose, rushing into the court of the demon king
"Oh brother, look at me- the sister of the great Trilokadhipati, Raavan- bears the grotesque mark left by that puny prince of Ayodhya. He rejected me, when I, Surpanakha, the sister of Dashanan, offered him a marriage proposal."As she regaled to her big brother, of how the Ayodhya's prince Lakshman had slashed her nose with a knife, in the forests of Panchavati, she did not hesitate mentioning about the unparalleled beauty of Ram's wife. Vibhishana, who was a passive audience up until now , frowned at his sister, for he knew what she was aiming for. The fury on Raavan's face was quickly overtaken by a glint of lust. Vibhishana immediately discerned what plan was hatching in his brother's mind.
After the court session got over, Vibhishana headed straight to the grand chamber of Raavan, who was getting ready with his armor and other assortment of weaponry.
He remonstrated, "Listen brother don't make haste. Who Surpanakha is referring to, is not a puny prince. He is the eldest son of King Dasharath- he is Ram. His wife Sita is a chaste woman; why incur the sin of coveting another man's wife?" Vibhishan did not stop, his rhetoric broke into a musical verse!
"
The one who alleviated the asura-race from the netherworld
The one- Dashanan, an embodiment of the sacred texts,
The ten tenets of knowledge and wisdom are your prowess -
Before whom, the gods and the demons bow in humility
for whom, the forces of nature change their course-
the elements flow in grace through the changing seasons-
O' Lankeshwar - has your kingdom ever faced the brunt of heat or cold?
Your mastery over music is unparalleled
The composer of the Shiva tandav stotra -
The one consecrated by the Shiv- O' Raavan
What common man's vices overpower you?
Yet here you are disillusioned by power, intoxicated by pride
You are stuck in the cloud held afloat by a manic crowd
Of 'peasant' pleasers, your wise counsel to speak only what you want to hear!
O' dear brother, allegiance is NOT agreeability, to say just 'YES'
Then a king would never live long or prosper, his kingship dies a brutal death
The ones truly loyal to your longevity and prosperity ARE the ones
who help you see through the GOOD, BAD, UGLY
NOT fearing for life or banishment -
THEY Speak the TRUTH, stark as is
To pierce through your blindfold, I speak thus-
Rein in your horses - O Dashanan-
before you head forth to your doom
In the pursuit of another's wealth and wife -
In challenging the epitome of Dharma - Ram
You are betraying your own learnedness-,
This storm cloud of ignorance would befall you like
a fire-blazing sword -
This one act of Adharma will reduce your Swarna Lanka to ashes
O great demon king - pay heed, let your wisdom be your counsel
Banish the lowly demons that overrule you,
Save your kingship, save your kingdom, save the people
Who seek refuge in you!
Vibhishana paused for a breath. Ravaan glared at him, his mane blowing under the gusts, fiery from the rotating blades of the Pushpaka vimana ready for take off. He spoke through clenched teeth, "Had it been anybody else in your, place Vibhishana, I would have ordered my guards to mutilate and imprison the speaker of such words! Move away before the intensity of my ire scorches you to death!"
Vibhishana moved away, terror struck, as flew off in his Pushpaka vimana. That night, Lanka seemed plunged into a never-seen-before darkness - howling of wolves filled the air, sending tremors across Lanka. Many such nights passed, till the whooshing of the Pushpaka vimana doused the cries of the night. In its stead, were the cries for help along with the clanging of lead chains. Ram's wife Sita was in the clutches of Raavan, and she was being dragged to the Ashok vana - a tucked away retreat in Raavan's palace.
Months passed, and Vibhishana learnt that despite Raavan's persistent wooing, Sita had walled herself in, with the fire of chastity that thwarted Raavan's advances.
And Vibhishana did not give up on drilling good sense into this brother. He remonstrated with him, "Brother, before Ram and his army discover that Sita has been imprisoned in your kingdom, return her. I beg of you!" Ravana snarled, "A woman of unparalleled beauty as Sita does not bejewel the crown of a puny prince. Her place is in the heart of the Lankeshwar, besides his throne!"
True To Vibhishana's words, Hanuman arrives at Lanka, as the emissary of Ram, defeating Lankini - tha vanguard of Lanka's riches. In the court of the demon king, Hanuman is insulted, and faces execution by the demon king. The order for death for Hanuman is intercepted by Vibhishana yet again, who cites the decree of the court of law- which only gives allowance to mutilate a subject of any other kingdom, especially one who has come seeking peace. Hanuman is allowed to leave after having his tail set on fire. He leaves behind a burning Lanka.
Before the declaration of war, one final effort by Ram sees Angad- the son of Vaali, deputed to Lanka as a messenger of peace. Likewise, ostracised by Raavan, Angad finds an escape route from Lanka, to deliver the message of inevitability of a war.
The onslaught of the court proceedings had left Vibhishana on the horns of a dilemma. His own brother was sealing his fateful end by waging a war against Ram. He knew that in the battle between Dharma and Adharma, the former always emerged triumphant. He solemnly walks towards his chamber - prays to Lord Vishnu, "O' Purushottam, the supreme of all Gods, manifest as the Shakti of speech, one last time, to impinge on Ravan's deafness- to make him hear, what others won't utter in fear." With these words of prayer, he proceeds towards Raavan's chamber, where the demon king is seated ordering his army commander to take stock of his battle-resources.
"Brother," Vibhishana addresses the demon king in a calm yet resolute voice. "You are consumed by pride and blindfolded by power. You fail to see the consequences of your actions. Lanka's defeat is inevitable in this war. You are wagering the fate of Lanka and its people, just for one woman - who is not even rightfully yours!"
"Vibhishannn!! How dare you undermine the prowess of the great Trilokadipati - Raavan? I have been blessed with the mightiest of weapons from the Gods, the nectar of immortality lies hidden in me! I am the invincible! You speak like one of the sages who fail to see the actual power of the asura-reign? Begone treacherous one, before I order the guards to take you to the deathly gallows!"
Vibhishan was not just dismayed but torn with despair. Adharma had cast its shadow on Lanka, it was pushing Vibhishana away to the fringes of a "do-or-die" decision. What good is the allegiance to a brethren or a king who is hellbent on destroying his own race? What good is power in the hands of a King who is not able to rule with justice? What good is the wealth or riches of Lanka if it is going to turn every subject greedy, corrupt and intoxicated?" That night seemed the longest for Vibhishana while he mulled over severing all ties with this brother and joining hands with Ram. he was waiting for the moon to set, and taking two of his loyal guards, set sailing to reach the land on the other side - where he firmly believed that Dharma prevailed. In the vast ocean, he could hear the roaring laughter from the dark skies. The ten heads of Dashanan, which were prey to the demonic vices, appeared out of the clouds - Kama, Krodha, Lobha, Moha, Mada, Matsarya, Buddhi, Manas, Chitta, Ahamkaara.
They seemed to drop in the ocean - just next to Vibhishana's boat. Creating deep eddies, these heads morphed into the vice they represented. Kama, painted the picture of celestial nymphs festooned women festooned around a royal minister; Krodha and Lobha and Matsarya became the crocodile triplets, gnawing at Vibhishana's boat, ready to pull it into the eddies; Moha spread a fishing net full of oyster pearls, while Mada showed a rising mountain of the sea, upto the skies, Buddhi, Manas, Chitta and Ahamkaara morphed into a golden chariot with silver horses- whooshing past Vibhishan with images from his past - the adulation he won as Lankapati's brother; the riches that gave him a royal life, the many conquests, the many courtesans at his disposal, the wealth of knowledge he had amassed and his respectable stature in the demon king's court. The chariot rocked his boat considerably, while riding alongside for a good distance. Vibhishan asked his guards to row his boat faster, while he held steadfast to an oar himself, paddling steadily - away from eddies, the chariots and the crocodiles. They reached a clearing from where he could see a strip of land. On moving closer to the shore, he noticed a vanara congregation and two men dressed as ascetics, carrying on them - bows and arrows. He immediately understood them to be Ram and Lakshman.
Vibhishan's guards let down the anchor of the boat. A small group of Vaanaras came charging at Vibhishan, presuming an enemy in the territory. Hanuman quickly intercepted them, explaining to Ram and Lakshman how Vibhishana had reasoned with Ravan and prevented the execution of Hanuman and Angad.
Vibhishan humby bowed before Ram and implored to join his army. "Ram, Raavan is not invincible but he has amassed such mysterious powers that this battle might appear lost, even before it begins."
As the battle begins, Vibhishana helps Ram's army confront the first layer of Raavan's army - from Raavan's minister to Kumbhakarna's sons. The onslaught of the army by Kumbakharna is thwarted likewise. A turning point in the battle becomes the revelation about Meghnad's magical powers - and his vulnerability during the rites at the Nikhumbala cave. Finally, when Ram confronts Raavan, with the final blow aimed at the demon's head, he is faced with a befuddling spectacle- Every strike at Raavan's head leads to no avail- it regenerates. Vibhishan lets out the best-kept secret of his family - about Raavan and the nectar of immortality that is stored in his belly. Ram releases his Brahmastra aiming at Raavan's belly.
Raavan's death marks the harbinger of the dawn of Dharma, ripping through the darkness of a long night of oppression and sufferings meted out by the demon king. Vibhishana is coronated the king of Lanka, before Ram, Lakshman and Sita head back to Ayodhya
Corollary : Ravan's Swarna lanka had become an island of power, ego and wealth- where adharma began to reign and subjugate every subject of the kingdom. With Sita 's abduction, Adharma blows out of proportion in Lanka. This event is not to be perceived as mere coveting of another man's wife, but also as a grotesque violation of Shakti. To abduct a woman and subjugate her to a man's demonic society, is no validation of male prowess. Its a cowardly act, and a social system which espouses women oppression should prepare for its downfall - as in the case of Raavaneshwar's Lanka.
In such a scenario, Vibhishana is torn between allegiance to his brother and taking the side of Dharma. He chooses the latter, not because he knew that Ram was none other than Lord Vishnu himself or that Ravan would eventually succumb to his bad deeds, but because he discerned that the "good" would outlast the '"pleasant"". His choice as a younger brother to the demon king imparts one quintessential moral - "That Karma cannot be bribed with wealth and power, and Dharma overarchs the material entanglements with people and possessions, and clearly draws a line between the 'good' and the "pleasant". In short, he did not fear abandonment, exile or execution by his clan. He stood out. He fought. He chose.
Photo courtesy: gaurangdasdarshan.com
