Strong dislike for vibhishana for turning traitor

Strong dislike for vibhishana for turning traitor

Paradoxically, Ravana who was associated with the heinous crime of kidnapping a married woman by deceit, invokes less hatred than does Vibhishana, in an episode in the Ramayana. What is it that makes one forget Ravana’s heinous crime for some time and even sympathise with him?

Post the Sita abduction, Ravana lost the war not because Rama was the most powerful and invincible warrior at that time, endowed with divine powers but because his own brother Vibhishana helped Rama at the crucial stages of war by revealing closely guarded secrets, which resulted in the annihilation of all important warriors in Ravana’s family, including his son Meghnath, brothers Kumbakarna and Ahi Ravana.

There is conflict between two different interpretations of dharma with regard to Vibhishana’s role. One interpretation suggests that he helped Rama so that Ravana could be punished for his arrogance, for keeping his own selfish motive above the interest of his kingdom and above all, his kidnapping of Rama’s wife Sita, all falling in the category of adharma. In a way, Vibhishana did everything to uphold dharma, which is the duty of all good persons.

The second interpretation of dharma mandates that even though Vibhishana was humiliated and thrown out of Lanka by his elder brother Ravana, he should have avoided sharing such secrets which resulted in the annihilation of Ravana and his team, leading to erasing of Asuras’ rule and name in the world, for good. His actions were construed to be betrayal of family and kingdom. Talking to his brother Kumbakarna, Vibhishna makes a proposal to bring him to Rama’s side with a motive to weaken Ravana further. Kumbakarna beautifully elaborates his duty towards the kingdom, his own countrymen and above all, his brother Ravana, though he himself did not support the act of Ravana kidnapping Sita.

Kumbakarna’s lecture on dharma makes Vibhishana realise his folly for some time until he is once again counseled by Rama. A big question will remain whether it was necessary for Vibhishana to be overzealous in harming his own brother Ravana or even going to the extent of giving tips for the annihilation of other brothers and nephews whose only mistake was that in the war they chose to stand by the head of their family and kingdom, Ravana.

Many feel that Vibhishana could have maintained a stoic silence instead of turning against Ravana. His act makes some people infer that more than his earnestness to uphold dharma, he wanted to settle a score with Ravana who had humiliated him in the presence of all his kin and subjects. But, while doing this, he put aside his loyalty to his own country, family members and people of his kingdom which dharma may not support.

If kidnapping is reckoned as a crime in all systems of jurisprudence, then treason is considered even more serious a crime in all systems around the world and the death penalty is the punishment for treason in most countries.

Therefore, it is not surprising that as the story unfolds, many among us begin to dislike Vibhishana, a more pronounced emotion than what one has for Ravana. The first lesson is that dharma is not absolute; it is subjective. Second, even if one is a noble soul, when he acts against the interest of his own country, people and family, he loses the respect of all.