The Grace of Divinity can be earned by tapas or austerities. Tapas can be done by every being in this Universe. When there is effort or tapas, Divinity has to respond and answer the prayers of the one performing tapas. What is the end result of tapas depends on the qualities of the person doing tapas. All beings have three qualities or gunas – satwa, rajas and tamas. Though all gunas are present, one guna is always predominant. So he is said to have that guna or quality. Satwa is the quality of purity, love, benevolence and knowledge; rajas is action, bravery and material result oriented actions; tamas is laziness, inertia and dullness. We must make an effort to overcome the rajas and tamas in us and increase the satwa, so that the results of our tapas are benevolent to us and mankind. The story of Ravan, Kumbakaran and Vibhishana is the story of the play of three gunas which ended in different results for similar tapas performed unto Lord Brahma.
Sumali was the King of Asuras. His daughter was Kaikesi. Sumali wanted her to marry the most powerful being in the mortal world in order to have sons of exceptional strength and qualities. The princess searched and finally chose to marry Sage Vishrava. Sage Vishrava was a Brahmin sage and the son of the great Sage Pulastya. Kaikesi approached Sage Vishrava at the time of sunset with the marital proposition and mating. The sage warned her that the time she chose to come to him was inappropriate and their children would have evil tendencies but he accepted her. So Ravan was born at sunset and had greater ratio of rajas in him. Kumbakaran and Surpanakha were born in the dark hours and were full of tamas and Vibhishana was born at brahmamuhurt or early dawn and was satwic by nature. Even though all children had a Brahmin father, they possessed different qualities or gunas.
All the three brothers possessed exceptional intelligence, courage and easily mastered the Vedas and the other scriptural knowledge. Ravan was aggressive and arrogant but he was a great scholar and musician. Kumbakaran was like his brother Ravan but was lazy and indolent. Vibhishana had great knowledge of dharma, justice, knowledge of people and their problems, balanced thinking and great bhakti for Sri Vishnu. After the initial training and receiving knowledge from their father Sage Vishrava, the three brothers decided to do tapas. They selected a remote place and sat for tapas and invoked Lord Brahma and performed intense tapas for a very long duration of time. All their focus and very being was geared towards the tapas and pleasing Lord Brahma. Finally Lord Brahma, being pleased with their austerities, appeared before them and blessed them and asked them to seek boons.
Ravana asked first. He sought immortality which Lord Brahma refused as no man can be immortal. Then Ravana asked that he should be completely invulnerable and supreme before Gods and Heavenly Spirits, other demons, serpents and wild beasts. He considered men and monkeys as weak and was contemptuous of them. So he did not seek protection from them. Lord Brahman granted him all these boons and also blessed him with knowledge of divine weapons and sorcery. Kumbakaran asked for a boon by which he slept uninterrupted for six months and was awake for six months. Vibhishana sought bhakti and grace of Sri Rama. All were granted what they sought. Ravan became more egoistic and went on conquering spree. His brother spent half his life sleeping away. And Vibhishana became the Chief Advisor to Ravan and carried on administration of the kingdom of Lanka. His bhakti or love for Sri Rama finally lead him to the Feet of the Lord and he attained supreme Love and Grace of the Lord.
We see the case of three brothers who had the same parents and were very different. They did tapas and got the grace of the same God. But what they sought and how they lived after that depended on their personal gunas or qualities. We must work tirelessly to erase the rajas and tamas within us. We must overcome the vices within us and seek love for God or bhakti. Else all the power of tapas is misused and there is no final gain or salvation from the power of tapas. All of us have within us the qualities of Ravan, Kumbakaran and Vibhishana. We must ensure that the satwic qualities of Vibhishana are nurtured and made to blossom. Then the fruits of tapas will result in the direct seva or service of Sri Rama and His Love and Grace!
