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Continued from yesterday's instalment
 Vibishana’s
stand was quite clear. He had put forth several of his arguments when he
had met Kumbakarna in the war field to persuade him to cross over to the side of Rama. (See: Why should you join Rama?) Kumbakarna’s stand was totally different. He clearly saw that Vibishana was justified in joining Rama and had in fact insisted that Vibishana returned to Rama soon. But here was Indrajit who was quite the opposite of Kumbakarna. He had always shown a sort of contempt for Vibishana. Even in the war council we see him slighting Vibishana as Vibishana was never a warrior and had not participated in any of the wars that the asuras had undertaken, leave alone emerge victorious over celestials.
The speech of Indrajit, if one would analyse it, is full of passions and is highly coloured with prejudices and false values, placing emphasis on protecting a relation however crude, wild and conceited he is, just because he is a close relation, rather than the pursuit of righteousness.
Vibishana was not at all affected says the poet. ‘alangal moli sevvidhin thulakki mural muruvalum therivadhu aaki…’
He nodded his head in mock approval and smiled. ‘Just think over it,’ he said. Why did I leave your father? I have never stood by the side of falsehood.
‘pirandhilen ilangai vendhan pin avan pizhaitha podhe’ I have ceased to be the brother of the king of Lanka, when he committed the greatest adharma of coveting another man’s wife.
I have never had the qualities of the rakshasa race.
‘undilen naravam poimai uraithilen valiyaal ondrum kondilen’ I have never indulged in drinking. I have never been a liar. I have never taken by force that which belonged to another man.
‘pendir thammai thirambinnaraith thurandadhu theemai aame?’ Is it wrong to leave the side of a person who have imprisoned a pure, chaste and virtuous woman?
And, don’t you know I tried my best to mend the ways of your father and had no option but to come out because I was expelled? ‘novana seidhal theedhu endru uraippa un thaadhai seerip po enap pondhen.’ What was the option that I was left with?
Okay. Let it be so. ‘vemmayin dharumam nokkaa vettadhe vettu veeyum ummaye pugazhum poonga.’
Let all glory be unto you who are going after every whim and fancy of your minds, without any respect for values.
‘thurakkamum umakke aaga.’ Let the very heavens open their doors wide for your lot. And let all the disrepute be on our names, we who follow the path of righteousness and let the hell be ours. I decided to join the Lord of all lords because I am clear that improbity and wickedness can never succeed. For one who has set his mind on dharma, relationships do not matter. If his relations are not following what is right, it is not necessary for him to fall into the leaping flames of fire just because his kith and kin set their mind in jumping into it, and refuse to listen to reason.
 It was in fact what Vibishana told Kumbakarna too.
‘theeyavai seivar aayin’ If persons indulge in doing wrong things,
‘sirandhavar pirandha uttraar thai avai thandhaimaar endru unarvaro dharumam paarpaar?’ will those who pursue the path of rectitude perceive them as one’s kinsmen, brother, mother or even father? It is proper to leave the side of a person, who violates Dharma, does great harm to people, and enjoys doing things that pleases one’s bloated ego not realising the consequences.
That was the kind of clarity that he had. And now the three questions that we saw yesterday which are raised by critics, which remain to be answered.
More follows…
Hari Krishnan
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