Vibhishana had wisely decided that Lord Rama’s cause was superior to Ravana’s. He abandoned his brother, crossed the ocean, and sought the shelter of Rama. Rama asked the opinion of the monkey chiefs. Sugriva was highly suspicious; after all, Vibhishana was a rakshasa and the brother of Ravana. Other monkey chiefs had reservations about placing any trust in Vibhishana. But Hanuman had not detected any deceit or ill motives in the speech or expression of Vibhishana. He believed that Vibhishana was moral and desired to assist Rama.

Rama thanked the monkeys for their opinions and then gave His opinion, “This is My solemn vow. If anyone comes to Me saying, ‘O Lord, I am yours’ even once, then I shall give him all protection from all danger forever. Even if Ravana came to Me, I would not refuse him shelter.” The Lord’s speech deeply moved the hearts of all. Rama gracefully accepted Vibhishana, and Vibhishana gratefully joined Rama’s company.

The Lord doesn’t refuse to accept a supplicant who sincerely seeks His shelter. While egoistic demons abandon their own people as enemies, God and godly people accept even ‘enemies’ as their own friends. Rama was willing to forgive all offenses of Ravana and give him mercy.

Although Rama disapproved of Ravana’s deeds, He didn’t disown him at heart. But unfortunately, Ravana wasn’t willing to seek Rama’s shelter, overwhelmed by lust. The conditioned soul’s case is somewhat similar. The Supreme Lord is ready to forgive and forget the misdeeds of the living entities if they surrender unto Him. But their insatiable lust and independent material desires keep them away from seeking the Lord’s shelter. Although God is ready to forgive, the conditioned soul is often not ready to beg forgiveness due to lust and false ego.

To reach Lanka, Rama’s army had to cross the ocean. Rama fasted for three days in meditation, seeking the help of the ocean-god. But the ocean-god did not respond. Rama became angry, and simply by His glance, the aquatics within the ocean were perturbed. The ocean-god then hastily came and fell at the feet of Rama and suggested Him to make a bridge with stones. Merciful Rama forgave the ocean-god and commenced the construction of the historical bridge. Thousands of monkeys brought stones, big and small, and in a short time, a magnificent bridge was made, and the army reached Lanka, causing astonishment and fear to the rakshasas. The monkeys surrounded the golden city awaiting encounter.

But Rama wanted to give another chance to Ravana. He sent Angada, Sugriva’s nephew, to Ravana with a message to respectfully return Sitadevi. But proud Ravana ordered his servants to kill Angada. Angada, however, leaped onto the top of Ravana’s palace and kicked the roof, causing the dome to crumble. Amazed at Angada’s prowess, Ravana looked on as Angada soared away. Thus, this final attempt to stop the war also failed.

While virtuous people prefer peaceful coexistence, vile people prefer war only to exist alone. Just as Lord Rama’s message to stop the Lanka war wasn’t agreeable to lusty Ravana, who was attached to a woman, Lord Krishna’s message to stop the Kurukshetra war wasn’t agreeable to greedy Duryodhana, who was attached to the kingdom. Both were too proud and egoistic to submit. Pride, attachment, lust, and greed overpower people so much that they pay no heed to even God’s words.

THE FINAL CONFRONTATION

The war was inevitable. The parties of Rama and Ravana confronted each other on the battlefield. Great heroes from both sides fought to the death day after day, with thousands of fatalities among the troops. One by one, Ravana’s warriors and sons were dying, yet his infatuation and ego didn’t diminish. The battle continued, and eventually, Ravana was killed by Rama’s arrows in a fierce battle. His physical strength, skill in war, mystic powers, millions of followers, knowledge, and even the boons that he received from great devatas didn’t save him from his inevitable death. All this was due to his lust for a chaste woman, whose purity and tears ruined his race and very life.

When leaders are not self-controlled, the followers cannot prosper any more than sheep protected by a jackal.

‘HATE THE SIN, NOT THE SINNER’

Maricha’s good advice, Sita’s rebuking warnings, Jatayu’s opposition, Hanuman’s caution note, Kumbhakarna’s admonishment, Vibhishana’s well-intended counseling, Angada’s peace message, and so on – none of them could transform the lusty determination of stubborn Ravana. Thus, he brought about his own destruction. Just as an efficient receiver catches signals from a good transmitter, an intelligent person grasps good counsel from a well-wishing source. But proud people can’t do so.

Unfortunate are those who do not have access to worthy advice. More unfortunate are those who care nothing for good advice even when available.

A chaste woman can understand the power of another chaste woman. Mandodari, the chaste queen of Ravana, lamented at his death, “O Lord! Although you conquered your senses to win great boons by austerities, in the end, you have been conquered by those very senses. Fallen prey to lust, you desired to enjoy the sinless Sita, although I was always your devoted consort. By tormenting that godly lady, the emblem of chastity and nobility, you brought destruction upon yourself and all your dynasty.” Other ladies took her aside as she wailed. Unfulfilled material lust captivates even powerful kings and learned scholars in its shackles and ultimately leads to their ruination.

Vibhishana also mourned for the death of his brother, who never listened to his good counsel. The very fate that he predicted for Ravana had come to pass. Although shunned by Ravana, Vibhishana always desired his welfare. Rama consoled Vibhishana, “Ravana has died a heroic death, the end sought by all warriors. Death has ended all animosity. Ravana is now the same to Me as you. Please perform his funeral.”

Vibhishana reflected a few moments. Although he loved his brother, he strongly disapproved of his heinous sins. He told Rama that he was unwilling to do the funeral rites for a cruel and merciless person. A funeral would be an act of honor that Ravana didn’t deserve, and Vibhishana couldn’t perform it honestly.

Lord Rama smiled and said, “O Vibhishana, the soul can never be hated. Ravana’s sinful body is now dead, but his pure soul continues to live. And the soul is always worthy of respect. You should therefore carry out the rites for the eternal good of your brother’s immortal soul.”

The pure spirit soul is a fragmental part of the Supreme Lord who is eternally pure. With the material body comes the sinful contamination, due to which the spiritual glory of the soul is not fully revealed. However, the temporary sinful disposition of the pure soul doesn’t permanently deprive the soul of an opportunity to be situated in his eternal glory of being a loving servant of the Lord.

Though God punishes someone externally, He has only love and affection for all souls on a spiritual level. Ultimately, all material experiences are only a temporary phase in the eternal life of the immortal soul. Ravana’s sins had ended with his body, especially as it had been slain by Lord Ramachandra Himself. Vibhishana, by Rama’s inspiration, began the necessary rituals for Ravana’s funeral.

This is an excerpt from the book Disapproved but not Disowned by Gauranga Darshan Das.