Bibhisan: Hero Or Traitor?
As the great psychologist Carl Jung observes, a culture uses mythology as a medium to pass wisdom from one generation to the next generation. The great Indian epic Ramayana is a medium in the Aryan-Vedic civilization to pass the morality, knowledge, and virtues to the upcoming generations. In the scripture, we find Rama and his companions as the followers of truth, and on the other hand, Ravana and his companions as the antagonists, who chose the evil over truth. But surprisingly, we find the character of Bibhisan or Bivishana, the younger brother of Ravana, who chose the path of truth and virtue despite being a demon. Although he is generally regarded as a hero for this act, some, however, criticize him as a traitor for leaving the side of his brothers when they were in danger.
Ravana, Kumbhakarna, and Bibhisan were born to the Great sage and Vishrava and his wife Kaikesi, a demon princess. The first wife of Sage Vishrava was Ilavida, daughter of Sage Bharadwaj and they had a son called Kuber, the wealth God and the original ruler of Lanka. But when the demon princess Kaikesi visited Vishrava hoping to marry him, the sage told her that since she visited him during the evening prayer, she will bear three children who will possess demonic qualities. Kaikesi accepted his decision but asked him to have at least one of the three sons born with virtue and wisdom. This son was Bibhisan and the other two were Ravana and Kumbhakarna.
From the very beginning, Bibhisan reclined towards the virtuous path of truth and followed “Dharma” while his two brothers chose the path of “Adharma”. The three brothers once indulged themselves in deep penance which impressed Lord Brahma and he asked everyone for a boon. Ravana at first asked for immortality but the lord declined to give the boon. Then he requested to remain invincible forever so that no gods, spirits, demons, and other mighty beings can defeat him ever. He did not consider the humans and Vanaras (monkeys) as threats and ironically, he was killed by the humans and the monkeys. Kumbhakarna wanted to ask for “Indrasana”, the position of the Lord Indra but Goddess Saraswati made him utter the word “Nidrasana” or the seat of profound sleep instead. Bibhisan asked Brahma for the boon “to remain on the path of virtue forever” and received it.
We can address a person as a traitor when he or she causes harm to his own family, people, and country to attain personal interest. On the other hand, we hail a person as a hero, when he or she takes risks, indulges in acts of bravery, and performs life-threatening acts to save his family, people, or country. If we judge the character of Bibhisan based upon the two observations mentioned above, then we must say that Bibhisan was a traitor, since he abandoned his family and joined the invader, Rama. But if we do a grave analysis, we will understand that Bibhisan was an honest and selfless hero who lost everything for his rightfulness and left his own family and people to make the good vicious over the evil.
He is often compared with his other brother Kumbhakarna who fought alongside their elder brother Ravana till his last breath. As the famous proverb says, “No country is conquerable without a traitor”, we find Bibhisan revealing many secrets of Ravana and Lanka to Rama. Without knowing those secrets, Rama and his army could not kill Ravana and other powerful demons in such a foreign land. This unfaithful nature of Bibhisan makes us raise questions about his loyalty. Some even blame him for bringing destruction to his own country and dynasty in exchange for his safety in the opposition camp. But if we recall past events, we can understand that it was Suparnakha, the sister of Ravana who brought the destruction of Lanka. In vengeance, Ravana indulged himself in the abduction of Sita which made him bring his misfortune. Bibhisan knew that Rama was no ordinary human being, and realized that the dynasty of the Rakshasas, or the demons, is under a potential threat from Rama, so he made repeated attempts to convince Ravana to return Sita so that both their dynasty and the kingdom can be saved. But Ravana’s immense pride and thirst for revenge made the foundation of his downfall.
Unlike a traitor, Bibhisan joined the opposition side without any greed or personal interest. Rather, he was compelled to do so by Ravana, as the latter kicked him and forced him to leave Lanka when Bibhisan pledged him to return Sita to Rama. It was not a wise decision for Bibhisan to leave his two mightiest brothers, who were gifted with boons of gods and join a comparatively weak and inexperienced army of humans, monkeys, and other animals. But he had to choose between the invincible but evil ones and the meek but truthful ones. Being devoted to the truth; he chose the latter one which made him appear treacherous. But if we think from the other side, Bibhisan accepted the collateral damage to his family to establish the order of truth in Lanka which had lost its peace and glory under the rule of Ravana. This noble act of Bibhisan makes him a sacrificing hero of the epic.
As Bibhisan was born in a demon dynasty, he was expected to support his elder brother’s sinful abduction of Sita, just like Kumbhakarna did. But as people say, “It is not your birth but your actions define you”, we see Bibhisan rising over his inglorious demonic background and choosing the path of truthfulness by criticizing Ravana on the face. Bibhisan is often condemned for not being brave and faithful enough like Indrajit, who was Ravana’s son and died in the battle fighting for his father. But the other side of the coin shows that under extreme faithfulness and loyalty, one may forget the difference between good and evil. Indrajit supported his own father’s abduction of another married woman instead of trying to change his path. On the other hand, Bibhisan, despite being a demon, showed human qualities and chauvinism towards Sita. He even employed his wife for the protection and welfare of Sita.
As a wise person, Bibhisan never forgot the basic rules and courtesies in war. It was under his advice that Hanuman’s life was saved. When Hanuman set fire on the Ashoka trees, he was caught by Indrajit and was about to be killed in the court of Ravana. But Bibhisan stated that a messenger must not be killed as it is regarded as unethical. Only then, Hanuman’s tail was set on fire. Later he managed to escape and burnt the entire Lanka with his burning tail.
Although Bibhisan left his brothers for remaining on the path of “Dharma”, he never omitted his brothers from his heart. This is why we find him lamenting over Ravana’s death at the end of the battle. If Bibhisan was a traitor, then he could have easily betrayed Rama and captivated him when he became the king of Lanka. But he returned Sita to Rama and vowed to be a devotee of Rama for his entire life. For his nobility and loyalty, Rama granted him with eternity. Unlike Ravana, Bibhisan became a noble king and he and his wife Sarama brought the people of Lanka in the path of rightfulness.
Sometimes, the evil sides become so powerful that they become invincible and without knowing their weaker sides, no one can defeat them. Under the boons of Lord Brahma and Lord Shiva, Ravana was an unconquerable warrior king. If Bibhisan did not inform Rama about the secret of the nectar of immortality hidden in the navel of Ravana, the story would be entirely different. Now, one must regard Bibhisan as a whistle-blower and not as a traitor, as without his information and suggestion, Rama could not defeat such a potential demon king like Ravana alone.
The choice of Bibhisan to be a Satwik and loyal towards “Dharma” amidst a land of demons does not prove him as a traitor. His existence in a land of demons shows us there can be good among evil and god does not differentiate his devotees if they are pure. As Bibhisan was known as “Dharmatma”, he always chose the righteous track even when he had to leave his people. It is unfair to compare him with other demons such as Kumbhakarna based on the choices they made. The interpretation of “Dharma” varied to them. Kumbhakarna chose the path of loyalty to his Elder brother, while Bibhisan chose the path of righteousness. So, in conclusion, we can refer to Bibhisan not as a traitor but as a hero of this epic who left everything behind and chose the right path of virtue, truth, and nobility. He is like Prahlada amidst the demons who helped the Narasimha Avatar of Lord Vishnu to kill Hiranyakashipu and establish law and order on earth.
