Ramayana-16: Vibhishana's Choice by DavidBowles Music not playing? Switch to HTML5 Player. Share:    Facebook Twitter Email

Track 16 of my 21-part tribute to the Hindu epic, The Ramayana.

Vibhishana was brother to the Demon King, Ravana. After Hanuman escaped Lanka to inform Rama of his wife's location, Ravana was furious. With great anguish Vibhishana cautioned Ravana that as a forewarning Lanka had already burned, and that it was Sita's chastity and not Hanuman that was the cause. But Ravana was in no mood to listen, and by refusing to accept the moral code, he chose the path to Lanka's destruction. True to the saying that good advice goes unheeded when an individual's fate is headed towards doom, Ravana greeted Rama's invading army with violence raher than the surrender of Sita to her husband.

Ravana's reaction leaves Vibhishana with no choice. Renouncing everything, including brothers, family, empire and so on, he goes in search of the ultimate goal of life, yielding to his prime longing for oneness with the All. He has before him the golden opportunity of seeking Rama, whom he is gradually understanding to be an avatar of Vishnu.

Vibhishana makes his way to Rama's camp where Sugriva, the king of monkeys, warns Rama, that Ravana's brother is, after all, a rakshasa and therefore not to be trusted. But Rama dismisses the warning, affirming that even if the worst creature in the universe were to come to him seeking refuge in repentance, he would take him in. Vibhishana, on the other hand, cannot believe his good fortune in actually being in the presence of Rama, the epitome of dharma, that path of ethical responsibility that Vibhishana himself has been endeavoring to follow. Instantly, the last two factors of surrender - casting oneself at the mercy of the All (atma-niksepa) and expressing total helplessness (karpanya), burst forth in the demon lord's heart. Rama then addresses Vibhishana as king of Lanka. At that instant it is clear that Ravana's days are numbered. Vibhishana, who had no desire for power or wealth, and had surrendered to Sri Rama simply out of love for his ethical prowess, was instructed by Rama to take care of Lanka when the battle was finally over.

Click on lyrics for a break down of the song and the events that correspond to each movement.