I am often inspired by the character Vibhishana. He is the only character, so far as I know, in Indian mythology who was born into the Rakshasa Kula, stayed with the Rakshasas for quite a long time, and yet kept his Sadhana silent. When the right time came, he just left Ravan and joined Ram. On the other hand, Bharata's mother, Kaikeyi, received two boons from Dashratha and asked that Bharata be made king of Ayodhya. Apparently, Kaikeyi was a well-wisher of Bharata, but Bharata understood what was good for him. His locus was pure. His locus was love, and that's why he did not take even a minute to decide that he had to get Ram back to Ayodhya. When Ram did not agree, he placed his Kharaun on the throne and carried out the functions as his servant.
Both Vibhishana and Bharat had to struggle. The same struggle all of us have to go through when we move along the spiritual path. We are born and brought up in a highly egoistic society. We learn to live with divisions since childhood. We are told since the very beginning that family is the centre of our existence. We never challenge that notion. Naturally, we stay with our parents, siblings, and cousins and become close to them. We naturally develop an emotional bond. If they are in pain, we too feel it naturally. Society appreciates it, and we, too, feel elated with that appreciation.
Vibhishana is a good brother. He has helped his brother in all situations. His wisdom has always guided Ravan. That's why Ravan also respects him. But then Ravan kidnaps Sita, and Vibhishana tries to make him understand that it is wrong. However, Ravan does not listen. We, too, face this dilemma many times, especially as we move along the path of spirituality. The people in the family and relatives may be moving along the egoistic path. The relationships are a complicated web. There are so many tangible and intangible exchanges among family members. It's like Lego Blocks arranged together to form a shape; if one block is removed, it will naturally affect the whole shape. That's why people curse Vibhishana and say that he disturbed the shape.
Bharata could take that decision because he was in the company of the most realised souls on Earth. He had King Janaka, who was the epitome of Karma Yoga. He had sage Vashistha. He has lord Ram with him. He was born and brought up in an environment where he had the company of these realised souls from childhood. But what about Vibhishana? He is coming from a place where egocentricity is the norm. How could he dare to continue praying to Lord Ram while in Lanka? What gave him the conviction to leave the comforts of Lanka and join Ram, who does not even have a chariot to fight Ravan?
Vibhishana would have observed every little thing in Lanka and contemplated it thousands of times. His sadhana was so deep that when Hanuman ji reached Lanka to find Mata Sita's whereabouts, he listened to Vibhishana's recital of Ram's name. That's the kind of awareness that is required to be Vibhishana, having been born in Lanka. Then only did he gather the courage to leave Lanka. Otherwise, somehow we will keep deferring the decision. Vidura could not make that decision throughout his life, which is why he could not play an active role in establishing dharma. Merely being good is not enough. The good person also has to stand up for dharma. Vibhishana knew very well that he would be cursed for having given away his family for generations to come. He chose Dharma over social validation. Many of us keep playing Vidura throughout our lives, cribbing and analysing what is right and what is wrong. However, these commentaries help none. We have to gather courage and take that step to move out like Vibhishana. That decision to leave Ravan is the culmination of our spiritual journey, and one can take this step only when one has seen through all the comforts and ambitions and finds no meaning therein. Otherwise, we will find an easy path like Vidura. After all, the tana-bana of egocentric society and family is sufficiently strong to force a person to spend his entire life with ego at its Centre without him ever realising "what a waste of life"
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