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J. C. Jain
(5) Ravana, the ruler of Lanka, his brother Vibhiṣaṇa, his sister's sons Khara and Duṣaṇa as well as the characters of Hanuman, Sugrīva, Vāli and Jatayu are all vidhyadharas.
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Here, as in the Ramopakhyana in the Mahabharata the story of Rama (Rāmāyaṇa) begins with a long genealogy of Ravana, which is supported by Gunabhadra's Uttarapuraṇa. Though not specifically mentioned, Ravaṇa never tries to violate Sita's virtue while she is being kept in his custody in Lanka. The reason given by Guṇabhradra is that had Ravana dared to even touch Sitä he would have been deprived of his magic art of flying through the air. According to the author Ravana did not touch Sita while carrying her off, but by means of his magic art he transformed his divine car Puspaka into a palanquin, making Sita get into it by herself, 20
Similarly, the charactar of Vibhiṣaṇa has been elevated. After preparing a bridge when Rama's army (accompanied by Sugriva and protected by the vidhyadharas) reached Lanka, Vibhiṣaṇa approaches Ravana and requests him as follows: "Although unpleasant to hear, beneficial advice must be spoken by the teacher, a servant or a relative, by abducting Sita, the wife of Rama you have not done any good. It may be that the error has already been committed, but you should now return her back to her husband. It is no use destroying the family. Rama is so powerful that he killed Khara, Dusana and Vali without effort, even though, they possessed the magic art. The master should not desire even the wife of his own servant, much less the wife of a person who is powerful. The real victory of a king is his restraint of his senses. You are wise and intelligent, and so somehow or other you must succeed in your endeavors, but nevertheless you are devoted to an evil deed. That is why I am requesting you to stop. That morsel which is easily eaten, digested properly after eaten, and which proves wholesome after being digested, should be eaten. Take my friendly advice: return Sita to Rama. Let your family members be happy.'21
Also Hanuman, who is a vidyadhara and not a monkey king as in the Valmiki Rāmāyaṇa, is a well-wisher of Rama. It is he who for the first time brings news about Sita's presence in Lanka. When Rama and Lakṣamana are wondering about grieved in the forest, Hanuman approaches them and learns of their sorrow. He introduces himself as one of the vidhyadharas
20 Uttarapurana (68, 213. 207); Compare the abduction of an earth-dwelling woman, Somasiri (Madanamañjukā in the BKSS) by the vidyadhara Manasavega. He could not violate her by force because of a dangerous curse which would bring him instantaneous death, sec Vasudevahindi (227, 14-15), BKSS (XIV. 89-90), KSS (105. 69-71), and BKM (13.2.51-52).
21 Exactly the same advice is offered by Ravana's minister Marica in the Uttarapuraṇa (68.115-118).
