Across the wide sea, in the golden city of Lanka, lived Ravana, a king with ten heads. He had carried Princess Sita far away from her husband, Prince Rama.
Now Rama had come to the seashore, with a great army of monkeys and bears, to bring Sita home.
In Lanka, Ravana called his ministers together. “What shall we do?” he asked.
“Fight!” said the ministers. “We will win!” But Ravana’s youngest brother, Vibhishana, did not agree.
“Brother,” said Vibhishana, “give Sita back to Rama. It is the right thing to do, and it will keep Lanka safe.”
But Ravana would not listen. He grew very angry, and he spoke harsh words to his own brother.
So Vibhishana rose up into the sky with four good friends, and left Lanka behind.
He flew across the sea to where Rama’s army was camped. There he stayed high up in the sky, and called out:
“I am Vibhishana, Ravana’s younger brother. I have left my home and my family. I have come to Rama for refuge.”
The monkey king, Sugriva, frowned. “He is Ravana’s brother! We cannot trust him.”
Rama turned to his friends. “What do you think?” he asked. And each of them told him.
Many of them said, “Be careful!” Then Hanuman spoke.
“We need not doubt him,” said Hanuman. “He can see that Rama is good and Ravana is wrong.”
Rama listened to them all. Then he said, “I cannot turn away someone who comes to me for refuge.”
“Whoever comes to me even once and says, ‘I am yours,’ I will keep safe from everyone. That is my promise.”
“Even if it were Ravana himself, I would keep him safe. Bring Vibhishana to me.”
Vibhishana came down from the sky with his four friends, and bowed at Rama’s feet.
“I have left Lanka, my friends and all I had,” he said. “Now my life is in your hands.”
Rama spoke to him kindly and asked about Lanka. So Vibhishana told him all about the city and Ravana’s army.
Then Rama said, “Lakshmana, bring water from the sea.” And with that sea water, Lakshmana made Vibhishana the king of Lanka.
Vibhishana had come with nothing but his four friends. Now he stood with Rama, safe, among friends.
Only the wide sea lay between Rama and Sita now. How could they cross it? “Ask the Ocean for help,” said Vibhishana.
For grown-ups
Where this story comes from
This is Vibhishana's crossing, from the Yuddha Kanda, the sixth book of the Valmiki Ramayana. The story follows sargas 4 to 19. It is a faithful simplification. We shortened and skipped scenes, and we name them below. We did not add events, and we did not change anyone's reasons.
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Three things this telling leaves out, and why
- Ravana's words (sarga 16). Ravana tells his brother “a curse on you, shame of our family”, and says that anyone else who spoke so would already be dead. Left out because the words are cruel and the threat is frightening at bedtime; the story says he “spoke harsh words”. Many retellings add that Ravana kicked him; Valmiki's telling has words only, so our picture has none.
- Sugriva's advice to seize him (sargas 17 and 18). Sugriva thinks Ravana has sent his brother to trick them, and says he should be taken captive. Left out because it turns caution into a threat. The story keeps his honest “We cannot trust him”.
- The dove who fed the hunter (sarga 18). Rama tells how a dove welcomed a hunter who had caught its mate, and offered its own flesh to feed him, because one who comes asking for shelter must be protected. Left out because a child would carry the dove's death to bed. It is the best story there is for Rama's promise; an older child may be told.
We also compressed four things. Vibhishana counsels Ravana more than once: at the palace at dawn (sarga 10), before the whole assembly (sarga 14), and again after Ravana's son Indrajit mocks him (sarga 15); the story gives one plea. As he leaves, he wishes Ravana well and warns him to protect himself and the city (sarga 16). Each of the four chiefs, Angada, Sharabha, Jambavan and Mainda, gives Rama a different reason for caution (sarga 17). And the sage Kandu's teaching on protecting a refugee, which Rama also quotes (sarga 18), is folded into Rama's own promise.
The question children ask here
“Why did Rama trust Ravana's brother? Couldn't it be a trick?” Rama's friends asked the same thing, and Rama listened to all of them first. Valmiki gives his reasons:
- Rama said he could not turn away someone who came to him seeking refuge (sarga 18);
- and he made a promise that holds for anyone: whoever comes to him even once and says “I am yours”, he keeps safe from all beings (sarga 18, verse 33).
“Because Rama had promised to keep safe anyone who comes to him for help, and a promise is a promise, even when it is hard.”
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