जय श्रीराम!
तस्मै निशाचरैश्वर्यं प्रतिशुश्राव राघवः ।
काले खलु समारब्धाः फलं बध्नन्ति नीतयः ॥१२.६९॥
Notes: Kālidāsa says, "Śrīrāma gave his word to make Vibhīṣaṇa the king of Rākṣasas. Such an assurance was bound to bear fruit in time just like righteous deeds bring their reward in time."
Kālidāsa says that Vibhīṣaṇa's act of coming to Śrīrāma was an act done in the spirit of Dharma. When someone conducts himself according to Dharma and morality, people may ask why such fruitless sacrifices must be made. The moral law of this world is such that virtue never goes unrewarded, and Providence chooses the time and place to reward good people just as a good tree bears fruit eventually. In this case, Providence, in the form of Śrīrāma, gave that assurance to Vibhīṣaṇa.
Vālmīki makes that point beautifully. Everyone except Hanūmān is wary of entertaining Vibhīṣaṇa, coming straight from the enemy camp. Śrīrāma listens to everyone. Of course, he does not ask Lakṣmaṇa because he knows Lakṣmaṇa would follow his decision implicitly. After hearing everyone, he gives more importance to the words of Hanūmān who describes how Vibhīṣaṇa had fearlessly upheld Dharma even when Hanūmān as the ambassador of Śrīrāma was being mistreated by Rāvaṇa after his capture. Then Śrīrāma gives out his own avowed principle, a stand only a Divine Person can afford to espouse:
सकृदेव प्रपन्नाय तवाऽस्मीति च याचते । अभयं सर्वभूतेभ्यः ददाम्येतद्व्रतं मम ॥
"Lo, hear now my eternal vow. Whoever comes to me, surrendering even once, and asks for protection, to him, here is my word: I shall protect him from all dangers from all existence." That's it. No If's and But's.
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जय श्रीराम!
