Vibhishana: Epic Characters of Ramayana

By Smt. T. N. Saraswati

Vibhishana was Ravana's youngest brother, endowed with great learning and very unlike his brothers and sister. In spite of being born in the rakshasa clan, he stood by dharma and Brahma granted him immortality and the ability to wield the brahmastra. He married Shaileesha's daughter Sarama. Observing that Ravana's evil ways were only growing, he tried his best to put some sense into him. Being a clever statesman, he warded off Ravana's attempt to kill Hanuman who had come as Rama's messenger. Later when Hanuman went about burning Lanka, it was Sita and Vibhishana who remained unhurt. Vibhishana again requested Ravana to return Sita to SriRama and make peace with him. When nothing could change Ravana's mind, he gave up everything including his wife and children and left Lanka. He pledged himself in support of Sri Rama. Everyone in Rama's army doubted his intentions but it was Hanuman who rightly advised Rama to take in Vibhishana as he believed that his intentions were genuine. He helped Rama with constructive suggestions, gave him timely advice and warning, and was able to recognize Ravana's spies who had mingled with the vanaras. He invited Indrajit's wrath when the latter saw him guiding Lakshmana. In the end, when Ravana lay dead on the battlefield, Vibhishana was overcome with grief. He was torn between his duty in performing his brother's last rites and denying it on the grounds that Ravana had indulged in sinful acts. It was Rama who convinced him to go ahead with it in order to send his brother to heaven. Sri Rama then asked Lakshmana to crown Vibhishana king of Lanka.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bharatha Samskruthi Prakashana
• Release date: May 24, 2019
• ISBN: 9789389020786

Book preview

EPIC CHARACTERS OF RAMAYANA

Vibhishana

Written by

Smt. T. N. Saraswati

Translated by

Prof. G. S. Mudambadithaya

© Bharatha Samskruthi Prakashana, Bengaluru. All rights reserved.

Published by:

Bharatha Samskruthi Prakashana

C/o. Bharatha Darshana,

163, Manjunatha Road, 2nd Block,

Thyagarajanagar, Bangalure 560 028,

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Foreword

Sri Srirangasadgurave Namah

Bharatha Samskruthi Prakashana, the intellectual and spiritual offspring of Bharatha Darshana, a premier publishing house of Bangalore, has been rendering yeoman services to the cause of literature, culture and its blossom, ‘The Epic Characters of the Mahabharatha,’ has bloomed in all splendor in the world of children’s literature and we have welcomed and blessed it. Now the second bud has blossomed in the form of ‘The Epic Characters of Ramayana’ and has already begun spreading its fragrance around. It is a set of books based on Ramayana. We welcome it and bless it.

There is a difference between the Ramayana and the Mahabharatha in style and treatment. There is no second opinion about differences regarding form, magnitude, delineation of characters and the time of composition of these two great epics. Srimad Ramayana is a pure epic in seven cantos. There are twenty four thousand stanzas. It is an epic par excellence dealing with a theme and characters who lived in tretayuga, composed by a contemporary poet. The Mahabharatha is essentially history. It is in eighteen parvas having hundred thousand stanzas. It deals with a theme and characters who lived in dwaparayuga, again composed by a contemporary poet. (There is a view that these two great epics depict the culture of different regions of this holy land and are composed by many poets and they portray the various events and circumstances which took place during the Aryan invasion of India. We do not agree with such views).

All the same these two epics provide us with the images of the Vedas. These are the essence of vedas, national epics of Bharatha and sources for thousands of books on our culture which followed them from the natural stream of poetical composition and enjoyment of literature. At the same time they are never drying sources of Purusharthas namely dharma, artha, kama and moksha. In the background of the struggle among human beings, they paint the struggle between the good and the evil very beautifully and announce to the world the message of victory of the good over the evil. These eloquent and learned creations, have a few universal and sovereign