Vibhishana was the brother of Ravana, and the king of Lanka as per Ramayana. Vibhishana was the youngest son of Kaikesi and Sage Vishrava. The advice given to Ravana by his brother Vibhishana came to be known as Vibhishana Gita. Even though he was a Demon, Vibhishana was of a noble character and advised Ravana, to return Sita to her husband Rama. When Ravana did not listen to his advice, Vibhishana left Ravana and joined in Rama’s army. Later, when Rama defeated Ravana, Rama crowned Vibhishana as the king of Lanka and he returned to Ayodhya.
Vibhishana had a pure mind and a pure heart. From his childhood, he was meditating the name of the Lord. Even when asking for a boon to Brahma, he asked him to give the boon of staying permanently in Lord’s feet and worshipping him. This prayer was fulfilled and he served Rama, who was a divine avatar. Vibhishana, Ravana’s younger brother, consistently advised him to return Sita to Rama, warning that her abduction was an act of Adharma that would bring about the destruction of Lanka. He urged Ravana to abandon ego, treat Rama as the divine, and avoid risking his family and kingdom for lust.
The main aspects of Vibhishana’s advice are as follows:
He insisted that returning Sita was the only way to save Lanka from imminent destruction. Vibhishana explained that Rama was not an ordinary human but an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, and then he told to Ravana that his followers were giving bad advice and were not true friends, and he advised shedding arrogance, especially as, with age, bodily strength diminishes but, the, desires and selfish, tendencies for self-esteem can still continue to exist, and, thus, that it was essential to be.
When Hanuman was captured, Vibhishana advised against killing a messenger, arguing that it violated diplomatic norms, notes the Valmiki Ramayana, but in spite of these warnings, Ravana, who was very much addicted with pride, ignored the advice and thrown out Vibhishana out of his assembly.
“JAI VIBISHANA”
COMPILED BY
R. HARISHANKAR