The Ramayana illustrates the many facets of saranagati when people seek refuge in God for various purposes, from fulfilling worldly aims to that of attaining salvation. At first, the celestial beings along with Brahma seek Lord Narayana for help, unable to bear the atrocities of Ravana. The Lord then makes known His Sankalpa to take a human form to kill him. Others such as Ahalya, Guha, Bharata, the rishis of Dandakaranya, Kabandha, Sabhari, Sugriva, are shown to seek His grace through surrender. But Vibhishana’s act of surrender at the feet of Rama is singled out as the most comprehensive explanation of the essence of saranagati by many learned scholars and interpreters, pointed out Damal Sri Ramakrishnan and Srimati Perundevi in a discourse.
It defines the bhava and attitude of the seeker and also the unequalled supremacy of the Lord as the sole refuge for the entire universe. Vibhishana of upright character is a dedicated younger brother; but at one stage, he is unable to accept the unjustness in Ravana’s act of coveting Sita. When his warnings go unheeded, he knows that his next move is to seek the Lord. He knows very well what he is renouncing, namely, family and other possessions and also what he is seeking, the invaluable grace of God. Generally human beings are swayed by doubts owing to the power of maya and find it difficult to make the right choice. But the jivatma who receives God’s grace is able to perceive the truth with clarity. Then, the noose binding one to the cycle of birth is loosened and there is no turning back. Like the calf that rushes to the mother cow when it is unleashed, Vibhishana too does not tarry and very quickly reaches the place where Rama and Lakshmana stay, which indicates the urgency of his strong leanings to align with dharma.