Shloka 25

विभीषणागमनम्

Vibhīṣaṇa’s Arrival and the Debate on Refuge

Devanagari script

प्रकृत्याराक्षसेन्द्रस्यभ्राताऽमित्रस्यतेप्रभो: ।आगतश्चरिपोस्साक्षात्कथमस्मिन्हिविश्वसेत् ।।6.17.25।।

Transliteration

prakṛtyā rākṣasendrasya bhrātā 'mitrasya te prabho | āgataś ca ripoḥ sākṣāt katham asmin hi viśvaset || 6.17.25 ||

Translation

പ്രഭോ, സ്വഭാവത്താൽ അവൻ രാക്ഷസേന്ദ്രന്റെ ബന്ധുവാണ്—നിങ്ങളുടെ ശത്രുവിന്റെ സഹോദരൻ തന്നെ; ശത്രുവിൽ നിന്നുതന്നെ നേരിട്ട് വന്നിരിക്കുന്നു. അപ്പോൾ എങ്ങനെ അവനിൽ വിശ്വസിക്കാം?

Word by Word

प्रकृत्याby nature

राक्षसेन्द्रस्यof the rakshasa-king

भ्राताbrother

अमित्रस्यof the enemy

तेyour

प्रभोःO lord

आगतःhas come

चand

रिपोःof the foe

साक्षात्directly, plainly

कथम्how

अस्मिन्in this one

हिindeed

विश्वसेत्should trust

Context

"O king, by nature they are Rakshasas, and he is brother of the enemy. Evidently, he has arrived by himself. How to trust him?"

Characters & Entities

Rāma

Sugrīva

Rāvaṇa (implied as enemy/rākṣasa-lord)

Vibhīṣaṇa

FAQs

What is the core ethical principle (Dharma) in this verse?

Dharma includes due caution: relationships and affiliations matter in assessing truthfulness, though final judgment should rest on tested conduct.

What is the narrative situation?

Rāma’s ally argues that Vibhīṣaṇa’s family ties to Rāvaṇa make him suspicious.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Skeptical vigilance—preventing harm through careful evaluation.