The Vibhishana Gita · Lulla Family

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The Vibhishana Gita · The Chariot of Dharma

Sri Ramcharitmanas · Lanka Kanda

The soil of Lanka, the evening before the war. Vibhishana looks: Ravana upon his chariot, Rama on foot. For an instant a doubt stirs in his mind. And Rama answers him with that very metaphor of the chariot of dharma, one that in time came to be counted among the most beloved teachings of the Manas.

॥ सखा धरममय अस रथ जाकें।
जीतन कहँ न कतहुँ रिपु ताकें ॥

“O friend, whoever holds a chariot made of dharma like this can be conquered by no enemy anywhere in the world.” This is the fullness of Rama’s account of the chariot of dharma.

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Introduction

Within Tulsidas’s Ramcharitmanas there is a small episode that came in time to be counted among his most beloved teachings. It is called the “Vibhishana Gita,” though the word “Gita” in the name causes some confusion. In truth it is a brief dialogue from the Lanka Kanda, where Rama explains to Vibhishana the true nature of dharma.

On the eve of battle, Ravana sits on a jeweled war chariot while Rama stands calmly on foot, unarmed

The scene is this. Lanka is Ravana’s kingdom. Vibhishana is Ravana’s younger brother, now on Rama’s side. The decisive war is about to begin. Ravana sits upon a chariot studded with jewels, a thousand horses, arrayed weapons. And Rama stands on the bare earth on foot, no chariot, no armor, not even sandals on his feet.

Vibhishana bows before Rama on the battlefield, asking how he can win without an army

Vibhishana’s mind wavers. He was born into the rakshasa clan, unlike Hanuman or Sugriva, and so worldly reasoning closes in around him. He comes near to Rama and asks with great respect, “Lord, tell me one thing. Ravana has all this equipment, and you have nothing at all. How will you win the victory?”

Rama gestures toward a radiant golden chariot of light as Vibhishana gazes at the vision with folded hands.

The question is guileless, risen from an innocent heart. Rama answers with a smile, showing no displeasure. “Listen, friend,” he says, “the chariot that brings victory is of another kind entirely. Its wheels are dharma, its banner and flag are valor and patience, its four horses are strength, discernment, self-control, and care for others.”

This metaphor of the chariot of dharma unfolds across thirteen chaupais of the Lanka Kanda. Every part of the chariot, every wheel, every weapon stands as the symbol of some virtue. Here dharma comes down to the ground of living, closer to daily life than to the heights of philosophy. Calm, self-control, forgiveness, contentment, these are named as the true weapons.

The “Vibhishana Gita” is this episode, and it holds more than the metaphor of the chariot of dharma. The whole conversation is here, from Vibhishana’s question to Rama’s famous line “अस सजि सगुन धरम रथ.” Brief, yet complete in itself, and very wide in its depth.

We have divided it into six parts. Each part centers on one theme, and each carries Tulsidas’s Awadhi chaupais in their original form, together with a plain-English rendering.

Six Parts

Tulsidas’s chaupais, their meaning, and commentary.

Part 1

Vibhishana’s Question

Ravana’s chariot, Rama standing on foot, and Vibhishana’s doubt.

Part 2

The Chariot of Dharma Begins

Rama’s first answer, and the beginning of the account of the chariot’s parts.

Part 3

Wheels, Horses, Banner

Valor, truth, virtue, glory, the meaning hidden in each part.

Part 4

Armor and Charioteer

Armor, weapons, charioteer, strength, the guarding of the inner self.

Part 5

The Chariot Complete

The chariot is arrayed. Rama’s word: such a chariot conquers every enemy.

Part 6

Vibhishana’s Surrender

Vibhishana’s overwhelmed response and the resting of the episode.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does the name “Vibhishana Gita” come from?

This name did not come from Tulsidas; it is a later title. Vibhishana is the one who receives the teaching, and so it came to be called the “Vibhishana Gita.” But this dialogue is brief, nothing like the long discourse the word Gita suggests.

How long is it?

Thirteen chaupais, two dohas, and one shloka. In the Lanka Kanda of the Ramcharitmanas, just before the war between Rama and Ravana. Five to ten minutes to read in full.

Is it only the metaphor of the “chariot of dharma”?

Mainly yes, though along with the metaphor there is the whole conversation too. Vibhishana’s question, Rama’s answer, and at the end Vibhishana’s feeling. The episode is complete in itself.

Is it only for war, or for everyday life?

For life itself. This “chariot” of Rama is needed in the mind of every person. Every hardship is a “war,” and every person must array their own chariot of dharma themselves.

Is this Vedanta, or bhakti?

Something apart from both. Here dharma is at the center, the ground of conduct, moral strength, and inner firmness. Even so, the ending comes to rest in the feeling of bhakti, because Tulsidas’s vision is always turned toward devotion to Rama.

Read alongside

The Rama Gita Rama’s Vedanta teaching given to Lakshmana.
The Bhagavad Gita The teaching of self-knowledge given on the field of battle.
The Hanuman Chalisa Tulsidas’s hymn of devotion to Rama.

The same story elsewhere

Chapter 23 · Vibhishana Takes Refuge
Valmiki Ramayana: Vibhishana takes refuge