Sundara Kanda · Sarga 52 of 68 · 28 verses
Vibhishana Defends the Messenger
Ravana, swooning with anger, orders Hanuman’s death. Vibhishana does not agree. Considering the matter carefully, he addresses his elder brother with respect: forgive, put away anger, and listen. Good kings who know what is right do not kill a messenger; it is against dharma, condemned by the world, and unworthy of one so learned. If even wise men like Ravana are seized by anger, all their learning is wasted effort.
Ravana replies that there is no sin in killing sinners. Vibhishana, best of the wise, answers: by every convention, messengers may not be killed. This monkey is certainly an enemy and has done great harm, but there are other punishments for a messenger: maiming, flogging, shaving the head, branding; killing is unheard of. And what good would his death do? Punish those who sent him. Good or bad, a messenger speaks for another and is in another’s power. Besides, if he is killed, no one else can cross the ocean to bring the two princes here to fight; and Ravana, conqueror of gods, should want that fight. Let a part of the army go and teach those foolish princes his power. Ravana accepts his younger brother’s advice.
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स तस्य वचनं श्रुत्वा वानरस्य महात्मनः । आज्ञापयद् वधं तस्य रावणः क्रोधमूर्च्छितः ॥ १ ॥
Hearing the words of that great-souled monkey, Ravana, swooning with anger, ordered his death.
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वधे तस्य समाज्ञप्ते रावणेन दुरात्मना । निवेदितवतो दौत्यं नानुमेने विभीषणः ॥ २ ॥
When his death had been ordered by the evil-souled Ravana, Vibhishana did not agree, since the monkey had declared himself a messenger.
तं रक्षोऽधिपतिं क्रुद्धं तच्च कार्यमुपस्थितम् । विदित्वा चिन्तयामास कार्यं कार्यविधौ स्थितः ॥ ३ ॥
Knowing that the lord of the rakshasas was angry and that the matter was at hand, he, firm in the conduct of affairs, considered what should be done.
निश्चितार्थस्ततः साम्ना पूज्यं शत्रुजिदग्रजम् । उवाच हितमत्यर्थं वाक्यं वाक्यविशारदः ॥ ४ ॥
His purpose fixed, the skilled speaker spoke to his honoured elder brother, conqueror of enemies, gently, words of the greatest good:
क्षमस्व रोषं त्यज राक्षसेन्द्र प्रसीद मे वाक्यमिदं शृणुष्व । वधं न कुर्वन्ति परावरज्ञा दूतस्य सन्तो वसुधाधिपेन्द्राः ॥ ५ ॥
“Forgive; give up your anger, king of the rakshasas; be gracious and hear these words of mine. Good kings among the lords of the earth, who know the high and the low, do not kill a messenger.
राजन् धर्मविरुद्धं च लोकवृत्तेश्च गर्हितम् । तव चासदृशं वीर कपेरस्य प्रमापणम् ॥ ६ ॥
“King, killing this monkey is against dharma, condemned by the custom of the world, and unworthy of you, hero.
धर्मज्ञश्च कृतज्ञश्च राजधर्मविशारदः । परावरज्ञो भूतानां त्वमेव परमार्थवित् ॥ ७ ॥
“You know dharma, you are grateful, skilled in the dharma of kings; you know the high and low of beings; you understand the highest truth.
गृह्यन्ते यदि रोषेण त्वादृशोऽपि विचक्षणाः । ततः शास्त्रविपश्चित्त्वं श्रम एव हि केवलम् ॥ ८ ॥
“If even the wise like you are seized by anger, then learning in the treatises is only wasted labour.
तस्मात् प्रसीद शत्रुघ्न राक्षसेन्द्र दुरासद । युक्तायुक्तं विनिश्चित्य दूतदण्डो विधीयताम् ॥ ९ ॥
“So be gracious, slayer of enemies, unassailable king of the rakshasas. Having decided what is fitting and unfitting, let a messenger’s punishment be imposed.”
विभीषणवचः श्रुत्वा रावणो राक्षसेश्वरः । कोपेन महताऽऽविष्टो वाक्यमुत्तरमब्रवीत् ॥ १० ॥
Hearing Vibhishana’s words, Ravana, lord of the rakshasas, filled with great anger, gave this answer:
न पापानां वधे पापं विद्यते शत्रुसूदन । तस्मादिमं वधिष्यामि वानरं पापकारिणम् ॥ ११ ॥
“There is no sin in killing sinners, destroyer of enemies. So I will kill this monkey, this evildoer.”
अधर्ममूलं बहुदोषयुक्त- मनार्यजुष्टं वचनं निशम्य । उवाच वाक्यं परमार्थतत्त्वं विभीषणो बुद्धिमतां वरिष्ठः ॥ १२ ॥
Hearing those words, rooted in unrighteousness, full of many faults, used by the ignoble, Vibhishana, best of the wise, spoke words of the highest truth:
प्रसीद लङ्केश्वर राक्षसेन्द्र धर्मार्थतत्त्वं वचनं शृणुष्व । दूता न वध्याः समयेषु राजन् सर्वेषु सर्वत्र वदन्ति सन्तः ॥ १३ ॥
“Be gracious, lord of Lanka, king of the rakshasas; hear words of the truth of dharma and profit. Messengers are not to be killed, king, under any convention, everywhere; so the good say.
असंशयं शत्रुरयं प्रवृद्धः कृतं ह्यनेनाप्रियमप्रमेयम् । न दूतवध्यां प्रवदन्ति सन्तो दूतस्य दृष्टा बहवो हि दण्डाः ॥ १४ ॥
“Without doubt this enemy is swollen with pride, for he has done harm beyond measure. But the good do not speak of killing a messenger; many punishments for a messenger are known:
वैरूप्यमङ्गेषु कशाभिघातो मौण्ड्यं तथा लक्षणसंनिपातः । एतान् हि दूते प्रवदन्ति दण्डान् वधस्तु दूतस्य न नः श्रुतोऽस्ति ॥ १५ ॥
“disfigurement of the limbs, a flogging with whips, shaving the head, branding with marks: these are named as punishments for a messenger; but the killing of a messenger we have never heard of.
कथं च धर्मार्थविनीतबुद्धिः परावरप्रत्ययनिश्चितार्थः । भवद्विधः कोपवशे हि तिष्ठेत् कोपं न गच्छन्ति हि सत्त्ववन्तः ॥ १६ ॥
“How could one like you, whose mind is trained in dharma and profit, whose purpose is settled by knowledge of the high and the low, stay in anger’s power? Those who have strength do not give way to anger.
न धर्मवादे न च लोकवृत्ते न शास्त्रबुद्धिग्रहणेषु वापि । विद्येत कश्चित्तव वीर तुल्य- स्त्वं ह्युत्तमः सर्वसुरासुराणाम् ॥ १७ ॥
“In discourse on dharma, in the ways of the world, in grasping the meaning of the treatises, there is no one equal to you, hero; you are the best of all gods and asuras.
पराक्रमोत्साहमनस्विनां च सुरासुराणामपि दुर्जयेन । त्वयाप्रमेयेण सुरेन्द्रसङ्घा जिताश्च युद्धेष्वसकृन्नरेन्द्राः ॥ १८ ॥
“By you, immeasurable, hard to conquer even for gods and asuras full of valour, energy and spirit, the hosts of the lords of the gods and kings of men have been conquered again and again in battle.
इत्थंविधस्यामरदैत्यशत्रोः शूरस्य वीरस्य तवाजितस्य । कुर्वन्ति वीरा मनसाप्यलीकं प्राणैर्विमुक्ता न तु भोः पुरा ते ॥ १९ ॥
“Against one like you, enemy of immortals and daityas, brave, heroic, unconquered, heroes have done wrong even in thought, but not without losing their lives first, sir.
न चाप्यस्य कपेर्घाते कंचित् पश्याम्यहं गुणम् । तेष्वयं पात्यतां दण्डो यैरयं प्रेषितः कपिः ॥ २० ॥
“And I see no gain at all in killing this monkey. Let the punishment fall on those who sent this monkey.
साधुर्वा यदि वासाधुः परैरेष समर्पितः । ब्रुवन् परार्थं परवान् न दूतो वधमर्हति ॥ २१ ॥
“Good or bad, he was dispatched by others; speaking for another, dependent on another, a messenger does not deserve death.
अपि चास्मिन् हते नान्यं राजन् पश्यामि खेचरम् । इह यः पुनरागच्छेत् परं पारं महोदधेः ॥ २२ ॥
“Besides, if he is killed, king, I see no other sky-traveller who would come here again to the far shore of the great ocean.
तस्मान्नास्य वधे यत्नः कार्यः परपुरंजय । भवान् सेन्द्रेषु देवेषु यत्नमास्थातुमर्हति ॥ २३ ॥
“So no effort should be made to kill him, conqueror of enemy cities. You should rather direct your effort against the gods with Indra.
अस्मिन् विनष्टे नहि भूतमन्यं पश्यामि यस्तौ नरराजपुत्रौ । युद्धाय युद्धप्रिय दुर्विनीता- वुद्योजयेद् वै भवता विरुद्धौ ॥ २४ ॥
“If he perishes, I see no other being who would rouse those two ill-mannered princes, opposed to you, to battle, you who love battle.
पराक्रमोत्साहमनस्विनां च सुरासुराणामपि दुर्जयेन । त्वया मनोनन्दन नैर्ऋतानां युद्धाय निर्नाशयितुं न युक्तम् ॥ २५ ॥
“It is not right for you, unconquerable even by gods and asuras full of valour, energy and spirit, delight of the hearts of the nairritas, to throw away the chance of battle.
हिताश्च शूराश्च समाहिताश्च कुलेषु जाताश्च महागुणेषु । मनस्विनः शस्त्रभृतां वरिष्ठाः कोपप्रशस्ताः सुभृताश्च योधाः ॥ २६ ॥
“Loyal, brave, attentive, born in families of great virtue, high-minded, best of those who bear weapons, praised for their fury, well maintained are your warriors.
तदेकदेशेन बलस्य तावत् केचित् तवादेशकृतोऽद्य यान्तु । तौ राजपुत्रावुपगृह्य मूढौ परेषु ते भावयितुं प्रभावम् ॥ २७ ॥
“So let some of them, with a part of the army, go today at your command and seize those two foolish princes, to make your power felt among the enemy.”
निशाचराणामधिपोऽनुजस्य विभीषणस्योत्तमवाक्यमिष्टम् । जग्राह बुद्ध्या सुरलोकशत्रु- र्महाबलो राक्षसराजमुख्यः ॥ २८ ॥
The lord of the night-wanderers, enemy of the world of the gods, mighty chief of the rakshasa kings, accepted with his mind the excellent and welcome words of his younger brother Vibhishana.