The bridge and the refuge

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Namaste. Let us sit together again.

Last time Hanuman came home and said, "I have seen Sita." Rama held him close. Now there is no more waiting. The army of the vanaras, led by Sugriva, Rama and Lakshmana, sets out towards the south. Valmiki says they marched in good spirits, with the hills and forests of the south around them, until they reached the shore of the great ocean. And there they stopped. In front of them was water, as far as the eye could see.

That evening, Valmiki tells us, Rama sat by the waves and spoke to Lakshmana about Sita. Blow, wind, he said, and go where she is, and then come back and touch me. This same moon is shining on her too. It is a quiet moment. The great prince, with an army behind him, is also simply a husband who misses his wife.

**

Let us cross over to Lanka for a moment, to Ravana's council hall.

Ravana has seen what one vanara did to his city. He calls his ministers. Most of them tell him what he wants to hear. We are strong, they say. Let them come.

One voice is different. It belongs to his younger brother, **Vibhishana**. Valmiki shows him coming to Ravana more than once, respectfully, and saying the same thing. Brother, return Sita to Rama. Omens are bad in the city. This quarrel was not started by Rama. Make peace while there is still time, for the sake of Lanka and everyone in it.

In the end Ravana loses his patience. He tells Vibhishana that a relative who sides with the enemy is worse than an enemy. Vibhishana hears this quietly. Then he rises into the air with four companions and says his last words to his brother. I spoke for your good. You do not want to hear it. Be happy. I am going.

**

Now picture the vanara camp on the northern shore. Suddenly five figures appear in the sky above them. Vibhishana calls out: I am Ravana's younger brother. I told him to return Sita and he would not listen. I have left behind my home, my wealth, everything. I have come to Rama for refuge.

Sugriva is alarmed. This is the enemy's own brother, he tells Rama. He could be a spy. He could strike when we are not looking.

Rama does something wise. He does not decide alone. He asks each of his friends. Some say, test him first. Some say, watch him for a while. Then **Hanuman** speaks. He says, the way he came openly, the way he spoke, shows no deceit. And he came at the right time, when he could see which side dharma is on. I think we should accept him.

Rama listens to everyone. Then he gives his answer, and it is one of the most loved passages in the whole Ramayana. First he says simply: a person who comes to me as a friend, I cannot turn away, even if he has faults. Then he makes a vow.

**sakṛd eva prapannāya tavāsmīti ca yācate | abhayaṃ sarvabhūtebhyo dadāmy etad vrataṃ mama ||**

In plain words: "Whoever comes to me even once, seeking shelter, and says 'I am yours', I give that one freedom from fear of every being. This is my vow."

**

Rama goes further. Bring him here, he says. Even if it were Ravana himself who came asking for shelter, I would give it.

Think of what this means to people. Not "if you are good enough", not "if you come many times". Once is enough. In the traditions of **sharanagati**, taking refuge, this verse is held very close. Many devotees say it quietly when they feel they have nothing else to offer.

So Vibhishana comes down and bows at Rama's feet. And Rama, there on the shore, asks Lakshmana to bring sea water, and he consecrates Vibhishana as the future king of Lanka. It is an act of complete trust, given before a single step has been taken across the sea.

**

And the sea is still there.

Vibhishana suggests that Rama ask the Ocean himself for a way. So Rama spreads **kusha** grass on the shore, lies down on it facing the sea, and waits, in prayer, for three nights. Nothing happens. The Ocean does not come.

On the fourth day Rama's patience turns to anger. He takes up his bow and says that if gentleness is taken for weakness, he will dry up the sea. The waters churn. And then **Samudra**, the lord of the ocean, rises from the waves with folded hands.

Samudra says: it is my nature to be deep and hard to cross. I cannot change my nature. But there is a way. Among your vanaras is **Nala**, son of Vishvakarma, the builder of the gods. Let him build a bridge, and I will hold it up.

**

So the building begins. The vanaras go into the forests and bring trees, rocks and whole boulders. They carry them to the shore and Nala places them, measuring and joining. Valmiki counts the work day by day. In five days, he says, the **setu** stretched across the sea to Lanka.

Families all over India add their own small stories here. Many of you will know the one about the little squirrel who rolled in the sand and shook it onto the bridge, and how Rama stroked her back, leaving three soft lines. Many also say the stones floated because Rama's name was written on them. These are not in Valmiki's telling. They come from later retellings and from the love of ordinary people, and we keep them with that love. They teach that no help is too small.

**

The army crosses and camps on the shore of Lanka. Two spies of Ravana, **Shuka** and **Sarana**, slip in disguised as vanaras. They are caught and brought to Rama. The vanaras are angry. But Rama smiles and lets them go. Look at everything, he tells them. Count us if you like. Then go and tell your king.

And now one more act of peace. Before a single arrow is loosed, Rama sends **Angada**, Vali's son, to Ravana's court. His message is short. Return Sita and ask forgiveness, and there need be no war. Refuse, and you choose what follows.

Angada delivers it fearlessly. Ravana's guards try to seize him, but he rises into the air and returns to Rama. The offer has been refused. Many of you know a stronger version of this scene from later retellings, where Angada plants his foot in the court and no one can move it. In Valmiki the moment is shorter, but the message is the same: the door to peace was kept open until the very end.

**

So let us gather what we heard today. Vibhishana chose dharma over his own brother and came to Rama for refuge. Rama heard every friend, then made his vow: whoever comes even once and says "I am yours" is given freedom from fear. The sea made way and Nala built the setu in five days. And Rama sent Angada with one more offer of peace.

**One thing to take with you.** Rama asked everyone's opinion before he decided, and then he chose trust. This week, if someone comes to you wanting to make a fresh start, listen to the people around you, and then give that person one honest chance.

In the next episode, the long conflict at Lanka. We will tell it briefly, and we will see how Rama honoured even Ravana at the end.

**Credits (read out):** Written by the DharmikStudio team from the Valmiki Ramayana, Yuddha Kanda, with a note on later retellings. Narrated with an AI voice. If you hear a mistake, please use "Report a mistake" on this episode.

Keep going

• Listen: The bridge and the refuge
• Previous: "I have seen Sita"
• Next: Where enmity ends
• हिन्दी में पढ़ें
• All episodes of Ramayana: Valmiki's story, told gently