Succession

Source: TW

In the rAmayaNa, there are 4 pairings of takeover of the throne of the elder brother by the younger:

1. bharata -> rAma. Here, bharata ultimately turns down the throne only rules as a viceroy. This is evidently implied by vAlmIki to be the ideal that is to be contrasted with the rest.
2. rAvaNa -> kubera
3. sugrIva -> vAlin
4. vibhIShaNa -> rAvaNa

We believe that there is some encoded message in these iterations of the motif; however, we have not entirely cracked it. We believe vAlmIki is presenting various grades of the situation: bharata-rAma: ideal; rAvaNa-kubera deprecated; vibhIShaNa-rAvaNa: just; sugrIva-vAlin: ambivalent.