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The Lord's dharma

CHENNAI: The Supreme Being's promise of accepting those who surrender at His feet with unconditional faith is the greatest hope for those in search of spiritual solace. He has reiterated this in the Ramayana as well as in the Bhagavad Gita. His dharma is such that He will accept anyone who comes to Him for refuge.

Vibhishana offered surrender to Lord Rama at the camp of Sugriva on the eve of the battle, having renounced wife, family, etc., and with the Jnana that Lord Rama was none other than the Supreme Being capable of offering the highest goal, salvation, said Damal Sri Ramakrishnan and Srimati Perundevi in a lecture.

There was no moral dilemma in Vibhishana regarding the path of duty. His only concern was for the welfare of his brother whom he respected and regarded as a father, though Ravana had chosen to tread the wrong path.

Ravana's harsh words reflected an adamant nature and pride blinding him to Vibhishana's prudent advice that placed utmost value on the overall welfare of Lanka and cautioned Ravana against underestimating the enemy's strength.

The way of the world is such that those who speak pleasing words may be found in plenty, while it is rare to come across one who has the courage to speak beneficial words that might be unpleasant, and rarer still to find one who recognises the worth and pays heed to such advice.

Indrajit and Kumbhakarna offered solidarity to Ravana to boost his self-confidence and ego. Vibhishana's genuine anxiety regarding the imminent disaster if Ravana did not hand over Sita went unheeded.

Lord Rama was full of compassion towards Vibhishana and His invincible nature was capable of protecting him to the hilt. Yet He chose to confer with the monkey chiefs before accepting Vibhishana since he was a deserter from the enemy camp.

At the end, when except for Hanuman, though the rest showed hesitancy to accept him, the Lord asserted His commitment to His word, claiming that He could not deviate from His promise at any cost.

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