Vibhishana's Choice - Leaving Family for Righteousness (Dharma)

Dadi: "Guddu, I want to tell you more about Vibhishana's story - particularly the moment when he descended from the sky to meet Rama's army.**Guddu:** He flew across the ocean?**Dadi:** Yes! When Ravana threw him out of Lanka, Vibhishana descended from the sky with four companions to seek shelter with Rama. But first, he had to convince the suspicious monkey army.**Guddu:** They didn't trust him?**Dadi:** Would you trust the enemy's brother suddenly appearing at your camp? Vibhishana hovered in the sky and declared: "I persuaded Ravana again and again to return Sita to Rama. But he did not receive my advice, like a sick person who refuses medicine."**Guddu:** He compared Ravana to someone who won't take medicine?**Dadi:** Perfect comparison, no? Ravana was spiritually sick, but too proud to accept the cure. Vibhishana continued: "Reviled by him and humiliated like a slave, I have come to take refuge with Rama. Please inform him that I am here."**Guddu:** What did the monkey leaders say?**Dadi:** Sugreeva told Rama he couldn't trust a demon. The leaders Angada, Sharabha, Jambavan, and Mainda all expressed doubts. But then Hanuman spoke.**Guddu:** What did Hanuman say?**Dadi:** Hanuman said, "Vibhishana should not be doubted. He understood the merits in Rama and the faults in Ravana. He approaches Rama because he desires righteousness - and perhaps hopes to become king of the demons."**Guddu:** Hanuman trusted him?**Dadi:** He understood Vibhishana's reasoning. Then Rama declared his famous principle of dharma - words that are remembered even today.**Guddu:** What were they?**Dadi:** "By any means, I do not desert anyone who arrives with a friendly appearance, even if he has a defect." This is Rama's way, beta - accepting those who seek refuge, regardless of their past.**Guddu:** Even the demon king's brother?**Dadi:** Even him. The virtuous Vibhishana descended joyously from the sky, fell at Rama's feet, and said: "I am Ravana's younger brother and was humiliated by him. I seek refuge in you, who are the refuge for all beings."**Guddu:** What did Rama promise him?**Dadi:** Rama said, "After killing Ravana along with his general Prahasta and his son Indrajit, I will make you king. Hear this truth from me." Then something remarkable happened.**Guddu:** What?**Dadi:** Rama didn't wait until after the war. He instructed Lakshmana: "Quickly consecrate Vibhishana as king of demons with ocean water, so that I am pleased." Right there, before the battle even began, Vibhishana was crowned!**Guddu:** Before they even won?**Dadi:** That's faith and honor, beta. The monkeys cried out, "Excellent! Excellent!" They saw Rama's instant graciousness and were moved by it.**Guddu:** Did Vibhishana help them win?**Dadi:** Crucially! He told them about Indrajit's secret sacrifice to the goddess Nikumbhila. If completed, Indrajit would become invincible. Vibhishana led Lakshmana to stop it, and Indrajit was killed.**Guddu:** He knew all the secrets!**Dadi:** He also revealed how to defeat Ravana himself - the hidden pot of nectar in Ravana's navel. Without this knowledge, Rama might not have won.**Guddu:** So leaving his family actually saved everyone.**Dadi:** That's dharma's mysterious way. By choosing righteousness over blood ties, Vibhishana ended up saving Lanka from total destruction. Had he stayed silent, the demons would have been completely annihilated.**Guddu:** He saved his people by opposing his brother.**Dadi:** Yes! After Ravana's death, Vibhishana's first act as king was to free Sita. He gifted the Pushpaka Vimana to Rama and Sita for their journey home.**Guddu:** The flying chariot! That's so generous.**Dadi:** The teaching here is profound, beta. Vibhishana is remembered not as a traitor but as a dharmic hero - someone who had the courage to choose right over relationship.**Guddu:** It must have been the hardest decision of his life.**Dadi:** Leaving everything he knew - his home, his position, his family - to stand with what was right. That takes more courage than any battle.**Guddu:** And he ended up with more than he left behind.**Dadi:** A kingdom, yes. But more importantly - a clear conscience and a legacy of righteousness that inspires people thousands of years later. That's the real victory, beta."