The Supreme Devotion Of Vibhishana

26 May 1996, Summer Course 1996, Brindavan

Published English.

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The portraits of two personalities are very striking in the . They are those of and . went in quest of , while Himself went in search of . realised ’s greatness and goodness only after meeting Him, while knew of ’s excellence even before he met Him.

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The war lasted for eighteen days, but the war between and lasted for seventy-five days. Though the warfare, in a physical sense, lasted for seventy-five days at , the inner war between and , the and the , truth and untruth, and righteousness and unrighteousness is being fought endlessly in the human heart. No one can tell for certain when the conflict and the clash between the positive and the negative forces will come to an end.

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’s gift , the eldest son of , was bent upon burning to ashes by performing certain sacrifices and rituals. The magic tricks employed by wrought much havoc and confusion amongst ’s army. who was well versed in the tricks of the demons, employed counter tricks and nullified the power of their magic rituals. drew the attention of and to the blackberry tree under which performed the magic rituals. The entire place under the tree was littered with bodies of sacrificed humans. cautioned and about the magic practices of and told them that they should see to it that was drawn away from that tree. He informed them that ’s power and strength multiplied immensely when he was in the proximity of that tree.

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who watched helping ’s forces on the battlefield, raged in fury. His fury increased when he found coming toward him, carried on the shoulders of , and guided by .

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He said to , “You are the betrayer of , you are the destroyer of your own people.”

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retorted, “, it is a quality of bad people to waste time by indulging in tall and unnecessary talk. Many a time I advised your father to desist from evil ways. But he never paid heed to me. I tried to put sense into the head of your father by advising him that it is a sin to misappropriate another’s wife. I also told him that he would bring dire disaster to himself and his people by resorting to . I forewarned your father, in the presence of and . It is your father who, by deliberately indulging in evil, has brought himself and to this state. My good words had no effect. To your father, unrighteousness is the dearest thing. Untruth is his joy, wickedness is his life. How can the heart of a person laden with so much evil ever change? It is your father who is the architect of this misfortune to . The destruction of is his own doing. I am in no way the cause for all this.”

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Unconvinced by these words, screamed, “If you did not want to support my father, you could have at least remained neutral without joining the ranks of the enemy.”

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To this replied, “You don’t have the wisdom to distinguish between truth and untruth, righteousness and unrighteousness. Having realised the difference between them, I joined the side of . It is unjust and unrighteous on the part of a person to remain neutral when is in danger. Society should be saved from . I enjoy the divine proximity of and that is my greatest treasure.”

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The example of the tongue conducted himself with the utmost truthfulness, righteousness, and piety in . When first landed in , he encountered at the latex’s palace. He said to , “Oh ! I am conducting myself carefully amongst these demons like a tongue amidst the teeth. How long can I live like this? When will I earn Lord ’s Grace? When will I enjoy the proximity of the Lord?”

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Then said to , “Oh , the good people in this world are harassed by the wicked demons, who are like the sharp teeth that surround a tongue. But mark one thing. The tongue was born along with you, while the teeth came in the middle and will fall away in the middle. But the tongue which was born with you will last until your death.”

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The devotion of There were many sages and who were ready to sacrifice their lives for the sake of . was a great devotee of God who lived on the mountain. Every day after his bath, he would offer holy water to a tree.

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One day, a spirit appeared in front of him and said, “Oh master, while you discourse on the , there is a person, an old man, who comes here first and is the last one to leave. Tomorrow, you must cling to his feet and ask for a boon.” The spirit told him this and disappeared.

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On the next day, was busy preparing sandal paste and singing the name of . After some time, the old came there. began discoursing on the . At the end of the discourse, everyone went away except the . went to him and fell at his feet. The asked what boon he wanted.

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replied, “I want to have the of the beautiful form of .” The then said, “You will have the of in a few days.”

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Who was this ? It was none else than . He would present himself wherever the glory of is sung. always passes into rapture while listening to the glory of .

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A few days later, a boy of tender age came to when he was preparing sandal paste for the Lord. He approached and said, “Oh grand sire, will you give some paste to me?” readily agreed to do this favour for the boy. While he was giving the paste to the boy, the birds on the tree felt pity for , since he did not recognise that the boy was the same Lord , for whom he had been pining for so many years. The Lord is everywhere.

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Two days after this incident, the old man asked whether he had seen the Lord on the previous day. replied in the negative.

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The old man said, “Who do you think came yesterday in the form of a boy to take sandal paste from you? All forms are His and all names are His. It is foolishness to worship Him in one form only. is the In-dweller of your heart. Your heart is the altar of God. Don’t install anyone in the altar of your heart except the Lord. My son, you may give room to your kith and kin in any part of your house, but do not install them in the altar of your shrine. Kith and kin come in the middle and go away in the middle. Serve them, but do not give your heart to them. Fill your heart with compassion. A heart laden with compassion is the temple of the Lord. + makes .”

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taught this lesson to and disappeared.

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Never give up fought the battle, his mind absorbed in . He exchanged spiritual ideas with very often. He said,

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was an aspirant par excellence. Even while he was a tender boy, he performed penance and propitiated the Lord. Lord appeared in front of him and said, “O ! Ask whatever you want.”

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said to the Lord, “Lord! Bless me so that I lead a life of righteousness, charity, and sacrifice. My heart should overflow with compassion and it should never be hard.” blessed him.

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, who was of demonic nature, performed penance and Lord asked him to pray for a boon. wanted to ask him the boon of a heart bereft of compassion, that is, (devoid of compassion). But due to the thick tongue typical of demons, he uttered the word (sleep) instead. Then onward, became a great sleeper.

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A person devoid of compassion is not human (), but a demon (). We should not be devoid of compassion at any time. It is said:

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By constant effort, filled his heart with the quality of compassion.

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That is why he could understand the Principle. He lived a life of devotion, observing truth and righteousness. The name and form of the Lord correspond to truth and righteousness. (truth) and (right conduct) are the very core of the .

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God’s main address held spiritual discussions with the warriors and imparted to them many great lessons. He told them to behave like the tongue surrounded by rapier-like teeth. Obstacles litter the way of an aspirant at every stage. The tongue outlasts the teeth. Wicked people will fall off like the teeth that surround the tongue. Wicked people will leave you as the teeth leave the tongue. God is your Protector. Protection by God is the talisman for you. God will do anything for you. said:

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O Lord! who can adequately praise you? I am waiting and waiting for your compassion. Feel compassion for me. You restored to Your preceptor his son. You released and ; You blessed with an endless supply of cloth. You protected the . You quenched the yearning of . You transformed the ugly into a beauty. Even Lord cannot satisfactorily describe Your glory. I am waiting and pining for Your Grace.

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Once, went to Lord and asked, “O Lord! Where do you live? Which is Your main address?”

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The Lord replied, “, , and are My temporary branch-residences. My permanent residence is the place where My glory is sung by My devotees.”

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