Vibhīshaṇa Dūta Dharma

Hanumān was bound by the Brahmāstra and brought before Rāvaṇa after Indrajit captured him. There he gave Bhagavān Rāma’s message to the king of the rākshasas himself. Rāvaṇa was furious and ordered Hanumān killed. His younger brother Vibhīshaṇa stood up and spoke for the dūta-dharma (the rule that protects a messenger). Rāvaṇa gave up the order to kill, and ordered instead that Hanumān’s tail be set on fire and that he be paraded through Laṅkā.

Hanumān before Rāvaṇa

Hanumān was dragged through the streets, still bound by the Brahmāstra, and brought into Rāvaṇa’s great assembly hall. He looked over the whole assembly with a steady gaze. The ten-headed king sat in all his terrible glory, and Hanumān was not shaken by it.

Prahastha, Rāvaṇa’s minister, asked him who he was and by whose command he had come. Hanumān answered plainly. He was a messenger of Śrī Rāma, the son of Daśaratha. He had given in to the Brahmāstra of his own will, and had not been overcome. He wished to look at Rāvaṇa face to face and speak to him directly.

Then Hanumān gave Rāma’s message: return Sītā. This is the only way to survive. Otherwise Rāma’s army will destroy Rāvaṇa and all of Laṅkā. Hanumān added that Sugrīva, king of the vānaras, sent his respectful greetings. This is in the Sundara Kāṇḍa, Chapters 50 and 51.

Rāvaṇa orders Hanumān’s death

Rāvaṇa listened with growing anger. The message, the way it was spoken, and the calm of one lone vānara before the king of kings all seemed to him a great insult. He ordered that Hanumān be killed at once. This is in the Sundara Kāṇḍa, Chapter 52.

Vibhīshaṇa’s argument

Vibhīshaṇa rose at once. He spoke to his elder brother with respect and with complete clarity. He said:

“O king of the rākshasas, killing a messenger is condemned in all the worlds. This is the rule that righteous kings have kept in every age and every place. A messenger only carries his master’s words. He has no power of his own and no stake in the message. Whether the words are pleasing or harsh, his duty is to speak them faithfully, and dharma protects him from any punishment for doing so.”

He went on: “Killing this vānara will not harm Rāma. It will only mean that there is no one to carry back an answer. If we want to show Rāvaṇa’s strength, we may punish him in the ways dharma allows. These are cutting off a limb, flogging with the whip, shaving the head, and branding marks on the body. These are the known punishments for a messenger who has overstepped. Death is left out of them on purpose.”

He added a practical point: “O great conqueror, if you wish to show your power, turn it on Rāma, Lakshmaṇa and the vānara army across the ocean. They are worthy foes for a king like you. This one small vānara is beneath your notice.” This is in the Sundara Kāṇḍa, Chapter 52.

Rāvaṇa accepts

The assembly saw the wisdom in Vibhīshaṇa’s words. Rāvaṇa, though still burning with anger, accepted them. He changed the death sentence. The vānaras prize the tail above all things, as their ornament and their pride. Rāvaṇa ordered that Hanumān’s tail be wrapped in cloth, soaked in oil and set on fire. He then ordered that Hanumān be paraded through all the streets of Laṅkā, so that its people could see his shame. This is in the Sundara Kāṇḍa, Chapter 53.

Sources

• Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa, Sundara Kāṇḍa, Chapters 49–52
• Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa, Sundara Kāṇḍa, Chapter 53 (Rāvaṇa’s decision)