Vibhisana.
The younger sibling of Kumbhakarna and Ravana.
Very different in thought and deed, as compared to his more 'illustrious' brothers.
Married to Sarama, a holy and pious lady.Ruler of Lanka after the gory demise of his brothers, Kumbhakarna and Ravana.
An Asura by birth, but with traits which went against the grain of Asura thought and deed. He considered himself to be a brahmin, like his father. Vishrava.
What is his role in the Ramayana?
(He had a brief role in the Mahabharata also, where he accepted the sovereignity of Yudhisthira when he conducted the Aswamedha yajna).
A timid soul, when compared to his valorous brothers.
A staunch devotee of Lord Vishnu, whereas Ravana was a staunch devotee of Lord Shiva.
He sought a boon from Lord Brahma that he be devoted to the Lord Vishnu, and also wanted a darshan of the Lord.
Whereas Kumbhakarna chose to stick to his family in spite of knowing that Ravana had not done the right thing by abducting Sita, Vibhisana also stuck to his Dharma, left Lanka and went over to join Lord Rama.
It is said that Vibhisana gave a lot of information about Lanka and its defences, which information was put to good use by Lord Rama and his army.
He revealed the secret path to the temple of Mata Nikumbala,where Lakshmana went to destroy the yajna of Indrajit.
So was Vibhisana a traitor, who sold out his brothers and his country, so that he could become king?
Or was he the staunch devotee, who gave up family and country to follow the Righteous Way? (Indeed, Vibhisana is considered as one of the Eight Immortals, or Chiranjeevins).
And when he was coronated king, Lord Rama gave him the darshan of Vishnu that he craved for.
An Asura with brahminic traits, did he suffer what modern day psychiatrists would label as 'Identity crisis'?
So, was the purpose of introducing the character of Vibhisana to stress that the path of Dharma is not smooth?
Two brothers, Vibhisana and Kumbhakarna, each following his own concept of Dharma, and ending up on opposite sides?
One died a gory death ( but was granted deliverance, as he died at the hands of the Lord), and the other became king, crowned by the same Lord!
So, make your call - traitor or staunch devotee?
And if we look within, do we see both these roles being played out, at different times, in our lives?
As Sergius said in the Bernard Shaw epic, Arms and the Man, which one of the half a dozen Sergiuses popping in and out of me is the REAL one?
The younger sibling of Kumbhakarna and Ravana.
Very different in thought and deed, as compared to his more 'illustrious' brothers.
Married to Sarama, a holy and pious lady.Ruler of Lanka after the gory demise of his brothers, Kumbhakarna and Ravana.
An Asura by birth, but with traits which went against the grain of Asura thought and deed. He considered himself to be a brahmin, like his father. Vishrava.
What is his role in the Ramayana?
(He had a brief role in the Mahabharata also, where he accepted the sovereignity of Yudhisthira when he conducted the Aswamedha yajna).
A timid soul, when compared to his valorous brothers.
A staunch devotee of Lord Vishnu, whereas Ravana was a staunch devotee of Lord Shiva.
He sought a boon from Lord Brahma that he be devoted to the Lord Vishnu, and also wanted a darshan of the Lord.
Whereas Kumbhakarna chose to stick to his family in spite of knowing that Ravana had not done the right thing by abducting Sita, Vibhisana also stuck to his Dharma, left Lanka and went over to join Lord Rama.
It is said that Vibhisana gave a lot of information about Lanka and its defences, which information was put to good use by Lord Rama and his army.
He revealed the secret path to the temple of Mata Nikumbala,where Lakshmana went to destroy the yajna of Indrajit.
So was Vibhisana a traitor, who sold out his brothers and his country, so that he could become king?
Or was he the staunch devotee, who gave up family and country to follow the Righteous Way? (Indeed, Vibhisana is considered as one of the Eight Immortals, or Chiranjeevins).
And when he was coronated king, Lord Rama gave him the darshan of Vishnu that he craved for.
An Asura with brahminic traits, did he suffer what modern day psychiatrists would label as 'Identity crisis'?
So, was the purpose of introducing the character of Vibhisana to stress that the path of Dharma is not smooth?
Two brothers, Vibhisana and Kumbhakarna, each following his own concept of Dharma, and ending up on opposite sides?
One died a gory death ( but was granted deliverance, as he died at the hands of the Lord), and the other became king, crowned by the same Lord!
So, make your call - traitor or staunch devotee?
And if we look within, do we see both these roles being played out, at different times, in our lives?
As Sergius said in the Bernard Shaw epic, Arms and the Man, which one of the half a dozen Sergiuses popping in and out of me is the REAL one?
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