विभीषणस्य हितोपदेशः

Then Nikumbha, Rabhasa, mighty Sūryaśatru, Suptaghna, Yajñakopa, Mahāpārśva and Mahodara, the unassailable Agniketu, the rākṣasa Raśmiketu, Rāvaṇa's son Indrajit, splendid and strong, Prahasta, Virūpākṣa, mighty Vajradaṃṣṭra, Dhūmrākṣa, Atikāya and the rākṣasa Durmukha seized iron bars, trident-swords, spears, darts, lances and axes, bows with fine arrows and great swords gleaming like water, and in a towering rage they sprang to their feet, seeming to blaze with their own fire, and all cried out to Rāvaṇa: "Today we will kill Rāma, and Sugrīva and Lakṣmaṇa, and that wretch Hanumān who attacked Laṅkā!" In the previous sarga each hero spoke on his own; here they all leap up together, weapons in hand, ready for battle, and the excitement of the court reaches its height. Sixteen names are listed, and in the war to come they will be killed one by one. Once again Hanumān is called a wretch, yet "who attacked Laṅkā" grudgingly admits his prowess. Indrajit, Rāvaṇa's own son, is among them, sharing in the court's fervour. Their anger is likened to blazing fire. So many heroes rising at once makes a fearful sight in the hall, and in the midst of it only Vibhīṣaṇa stays calm.

Vibhīṣaṇa held them all back as they stood with weapons in hand, made them sit down again, and with joined palms spoke. "My friends, the wise say that the time for force is only when an aim cannot be reached by the three other means. Force succeeds, my friends, against those who are off their guard, those already attacked by others and those struck down by fate, and only when it is used after careful examination and by rule. How can you hope to overcome Rāma, who is never careless, bent on victory, secure in his army, master of his anger and hard to defeat? Who in the world could have known or guessed the course of Hanumān, who leapt across the terrible ocean, lord of rivers and streams? The forces and powers of the enemy are beyond measure, night-rovers; you must on no account rashly despise them." Vibhīṣaṇa follows the order of the four means of statecraft: conciliation, gifts and sowing division are to be tried first, and punishment, that is force, only at the last. And force succeeds only in three situations: when the enemy is careless, when he is already under attack from others, or when fate has struck him. Rāma is in none of these. "Master of his anger" deserves particular notice: a man who has conquered his anger fights with judgement and is therefore hard to beat. With the example of Hanumān, Vibhīṣaṇa reminds the court that if even one messenger's course could not be foreseen, what of a whole army? He addresses them affectionately as "my friends" to calm their anger. His measured counsel is the opposite of the scramble in the previous sarga; he alone follows the best counsel that Rāvaṇa himself described.

"And besides, what wrong had Rāma ever done the king of the rākṣasas, that he carried off that glorious man's wife from Janasthāna? If Khara overstepped all bounds and was killed by Rāma in battle, surely every living being must defend his life as best he can. Because of this, Vaidehī could bring us terrible danger. She was carried off, and she should be given up; what is the good of an act that only breeds strife? It is not right to make a pointless enemy of a man so mighty and so devoted to dharma. Let Maithilī be given back to him. Before he tears apart with his arrows this city with its elephants and horses and its wealth of jewels, let Maithilī be given back to him. Before that terrible, vast, invincible monkey host falls upon our Laṅkā, let Sītā be given back. For Laṅkā will perish, and all the heroic rākṣasas with it, if Rāma's beloved wife is not returned of your own accord. As your kinsman I beg you: do as I say. I am telling you what is true and for your good: let Maithilī be given back to him." After policy, Vibhīṣaṇa speaks of right and wrong. Rāma is innocent: it was Khara who attacked, and Rāma killed him in defending himself. So the abduction of Sītā was wrong, and its fruit can only be danger. "Let Maithilī be given back to him" comes round again and again like a refrain. In saying "as your kinsman" he speaks not as a courtier but as a brother, so his plain speaking comes from love for his brother, not from any leaning towards the enemy. The repeated "before" shows that time is short: there is still time now, but soon there will not be. His argument keeps Rāvaṇa's own good at the centre; he does not plead Rāma's cause but the safety of Laṅkā, of the rākṣasas and of Rāvaṇa himself. "She was carried off; she should be given up" is the simple remedy: what was wrongly taken must be returned, and then the danger will pass of itself.

"Before the prince lets fly at you, to kill you, his unfailing arrows, bright as the rays of the autumn sun, strong, new-tipped and feathered, let Maithilī be given back to Daśaratha's son. Give up at once this anger that destroys happiness and dharma; hold to dharma, which brings joy and fame. Be gracious, so that we may live on with our sons and kinsmen: let Maithilī be given back to Daśaratha's son." Hearing Vibhīṣaṇa's words, Rāvaṇa, lord of the rākṣasas, dismissed them all and went into his own palace. These last pleas are set in a longer metre that lifts the mood of the sarga, and both end with the refrain "let Maithilī be given back to Daśaratha's son", bringing Vibhīṣaṇa's urging to its climax. His prayer "that we may live on with our sons and kinsmen" sounds like a prophecy: Rāvaṇa will not listen, and so he will perish with his sons and kinsmen. Rāvaṇa's silence is worth noting: he gives no answer, but simply dismisses the court and goes home. What that silence means becomes clear in the next sarga, when Vibhīṣaṇa goes to him again at dawn to counsel him in private. Vibhīṣaṇa's counsel has three layers, policy, dharma and compassion: he appeals to Rāvaṇa first through reason, then through justice, and last through the heart.