SARANAGATI

Then he entrusts the object to his care and sleeps carefree without any fear and with his arms on his chest.

There are several episodes in the Ramayana which serve as illustrations for this doctrine of Saranagati. Ramayana is therefore termed as a Saranagati-Veda by Sri Vedanta Desika in his work named Abhayapradana-sara. The episode of Vibhisana Saranagati is spoken of as Saranagati- Upanishad. It is one of the places in the Ramayana where all the accessories of Saranagati are present as we shall presently see.

Ravana committed the heinous sin of carrying away Sita and keeping her in captivity in Lanka. Vibhisana, his virtuous brother, advised him to restore Sita to Rama and make amends for his sins. He also said that only then they could live in peace and happiness. This shows that Vibhisana had the desire to do what was pleasing to Rama. This is the anga of Saranagati known as Anukulya-samkalpa.

But Ravana did not heed to the advice. On the other hand, in a fit of anger he spurned him and roared that he was a traitor and an ungrateful wretch. Vibhisana realized that there was no use of advising him and decided that he must no longer have anything to do with Ravana or his possessions, and should not even remain in his country. So he rose up and flew at once to the other shore of the ocean where Rama was camping with his army of monkeys. As he came he declared: "I have given up my wife and children", "Lanka, friends, wealth all, all have I abandoned."