| Ravana | |
|---|---|
 Illustration depicting Ravana, circa 1920 | |
| Devanagari | रावण |
| Sanskrit transliteration | Rāvaṇa |
| Affiliation | Shaivism,Lanka,Rakshasa |
| Predecessor | Kubera (King of Lanka) |
| Successor | Vibhishana (King of Lanka) |
| Abode | Lanka |
| Mount | Pushpaka Vimana |
| Texts | Ramayana andits versions |
| Genealogy | |
| Parents | |
| Siblings |
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| Spouse |
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| Children | |
Ravana (Sanskrit:रावण,romanized: Rāvaṇa,lit. 'roaring') is the principal antagonist of the ancientHindu epicRamayana and its severalother versions. He is traditionally depicted as a ten-headedrakshasa (demon) king ofLanka.[2][3][4] In theRamayana, Ravana is described as the eldest son of sageVishrava andKaikasi. He abductedRama's wife,Sita, and took her to his kingdom ofLanka, where he held her in theAshoka Vatika.[5] Rama, with the support ofvanara KingSugriva and his army of vanaras, launched a rescue operation for Sita against Ravana in Lanka. Ravana was subsequently slain, and Rama rescued his beloved wife Sita.[6][7]
Ravana was well-versed in the sixshastras and the fourVedas, including theShiva Tandava Stotra.[8] Ravana is also considered to be the most revered devotee ofShiva. Images of Ravana are often seen associated with Shiva at temples. He also appears in the BuddhistMahayana textLaṅkāvatāra Sūtra, in BuddhistJatakas, as well as inJain Ramayanas. InVaishnava scriptures, he is depicted as one ofVishnu's cursed doorkeepers.[9]
The word Rāvaṇa (Sanskrit: रावण) means "Roaring" (active), the opposite ofVaiśravaṇa which means to "hear distinctly" (passive).[10][11] Both Ravana and Vaiśravaṇa, who is commonly known asKubera, are considered to bepatronymics derived from "sons ofVishrava".[10][11][12][13]
Ravana was a title later taken on by Dashānana, and it means "the one with ten (dasha) faces (anana)". Further, roravana is Sanskrit for "loud roaring." In Abhinava Gupta's Krama Shaiva scripture, yāsām rāvanam is used as an expression to mean people who are truly aware of the materialism of their environment.[citation needed]
Ravana is also known by several other names including Dasis Ravana, Dasis Sakvithi Maha Ravana, Dashaanan, Ravula, Lankapati, Lankeshwara, Ravanasura and Ravanaeshwara.[14]
Ravana is depicted and described as having ten heads, although he is sometimes shown with only nine heads since he cut one off to convince Shiva.[15] He is described as a devout follower of Shiva, a great scholar, a capable ruler, and a maestro of theVeena. Ravana is also depicted as the author of theRavana Samhita, a book onHindu astrology, and theArka Prakasham, a book onSiddha medicine and treatment. Ravana possessed a thorough knowledge ofSiddha andpolitical science. In some later versions, he is said to have possessed the nectar of immortality, which was stored inside his belly thanks to a celestial boon fromBrahma. In the War with Lord Rama, Ravana was killed by a powerful Brahma's weapon shot by Rama which was gifted to Rama by Sage Agstya.[16][page needed]
Ravana was born to theBrahmin sageVishrava and theDaitya princessKaikasi inTreta Yuga.[17][18] Villagers fromBisrakh inUttar Pradesh claim that Bisrakh was named after Vishrava, and that Ravana was born there.[19]
Ravana's paternal grandfather, the sagePulastya,[20] was one of the tenPrajapatis, or mind-born sons ofBrahma, and one of theSaptarishi (seven great sages) in the firstManvantara (age ofManu). His maternal grandfather wasSumali (or Sumalaya), the king of the Rakshasas and the son of Sukesha. Sumali had ten sons and four daughters. Sumali wished for Kaikasi to marry the most powerful being in the mortal world, so as to produce an exceptional heir. He rejected the kings of the world, as they were less powerful than him. Kaikasi searched among the sages and finally chose Vishrava, the father of Kubera. Ravana and his siblings were born to the couple and they completed their education from their father, with Ravana being a great scholar of the Vedas.[citation needed]
Ravana and his two brothers,Kumbhakarna andVibhishana, performed penance on Mount Gokarna for 10,000 years and won boons from Brahma. Ravana was blessed with a boon that would make him invincible to all the creations of Brahma, except for humans.[21] He also received weapons, a chariot, as well as the ability to shapeshift from Brahma.[citation needed] According to theRamayana, demigods approached Brahma since Ravana was causing harm on Earth. Lord Vishnu appeared and gave blessings that Rama would incarnate as a human and kill Ravana since his invincibility boon did not include humans.[22]
One of the most popular images of Shiva is called "Ravananugraha", which was popular in theGupta era. It depicts Ravana beneathMount Kailash playing a veena made out of his head and hands, and strings made out of his tendons, while Shiva and Parvati sit on top of the mountain.[23][full citation needed] According to scriptures, Ravana once tried to lift Mount Kailash, but Shiva pushed the mountain into place and trapped Ravana beneath it. For a thousand years, the imprisoned Ravana sangShiva Tandava Stotra, a hymn in praise of Shiva, who finally blessed him and granted him an invincible sword and a powerfullinga (Shiva's iconic symbol, Atmalinga) to worship. But this incident has little to no evidence in Valmiki Ramayana.[23][24]
Ravana's parents were the sageVishrava (son ofPulastya) andKaikesi (daughter ofSumali andKetumati). Ravana had seventeen maternal uncles and three maternal aunts.Dhumraksha,Prahastha,Akampana,Vajramushti,Suparshwa andVirupaksha, a few of his maternal uncles, were generals in the Lanka army. The other grandsons of Sumali, through his other daughters, namelyKhara,Dushana,Mahodara, andMahaparshwa were equally powerful lieutenants in Ravana’s army, and given the first two were responsible to govern the territories of Janasthana.Kaikesi's father,Sumali and uncle,Malyavan were instrumental in making Ravana the king of Lanka by advising him to receive boons from Brahma, defeat Kubera, and establishrakshasa rule in thethree worlds.[25]
Ravana's granduncle wasMalyavan, who opposed the war with Rama and Lakshmana. He also had another granduncle named Mali who was killed byVishnu.[25]
According toSundara Kanda ofValmiki Ramayana, Ravana had over a thousand wives, withMandodari, the daughter of the celestial architectMaya, being his chief queen.[1] His sons wereMeghanada,Atikaya,Akshayakumara,Narantaka,Devantaka andTrishira.
In some accounts, Ravana is said to have hadShukracharya, the priest of the Asuras, as his minister, and in other accounts,Brihaspati, the priest of the Devas.[citation needed]
One account narrates how Ravana ordered Brihaspati to recite the Chandi stava (mantras of Chandi), more specifically the Devi Mahatmya, in order to stave off defeat. According to the Krttivasa text, Ravana arranged for a peacefulyajna, and invited Brihaspati to start the recitation of Chandi.[26][full citation needed]
In theBhagavata Purana, Ravana and his brotherKumbhakarna are said to be reincarnations ofJaya and Vijaya, gatekeepers atVaikuntha (the abode ofVishnu), and were cursed to be born on Earth for their insolence.[28]
These gatekeepers refused entry to theSanatha Kumara monks who, because of their powers and austerity, appeared as young children. For their insolence, the monks cursed them to be expelled fromVaikuntha and to be born on Earth.[28][9]
Vishnu agreed that they should be punished and gave them two options. First, that they could be born seven times as normal mortals and devotees of Vishnu, or be born three times as strong and powerful beings, but as enemies of Vishnu. Eager to be back with the Lord, they chose the latter option. The curse of the first birth was fulfilled byHiranyakashipu and his brotherHiranyaksha inSatya Yuga, when they were both vanquished by earlier avatars of Vishnu (Hiranyaksha byVaraha, and Hiranyakashipu byNarasimha). Ravana and his brother Kumbhakarna were born to fulfill the curse in their second birth as enemies of Vishnu inTreta Yuga. The curse of the third birth was fulfilled byDantavakra andShishupala in theDvapara Yuga, when they both were slain byKrishna, the eighth avatar.[9]
Ravana had fought with the demons namedNivatakavacha along with his army for an entire year but was unable to kill them due to Brahma's boon. The war was stopped by Brahma and Ravana formed an alliance with them, he learnt several magical tricks or maya from those demons.[29]
Ravana had defeated the vanara warriors namely Hanuman, Sugriva, Neela and even Rama's brother Lakshmana twice during his war with Rama.[29] As per the original six books of Valmiki Ramayana, only lord Rama the incarnation of Vishnu defeated Ravana and killed him after several days of single duel.
He killed Anaranya, the king ofAyodhya, although he cursed Ravana to be slain by Rama.
Ravana had wrestled his brotherKubera and vanquished him for thePushpaka Vimana.
Ravana foundVedavati sitting in meditation as atapasvini and was captivated by her beauty. He proposed his hand in marriage to her, and was rejected. Ravana, firmly rejected at every turn, grabbed her hair and tried assaulting her.[30] The furiousVedavati cursed Ravana that she would be born once more, and would be the cause of his death.[31] She subsequently leapt into the ritualhavan that was present in her vicinity, immolating herself.[32]
Ravana is regarded to have once caught sight of theapsaraRambha and was filled with lust. Even as the apsara resisted his advances by asserting that she was his daughter-in-law, he raped her. When she reported this to her husband,Nalakuvara, he cursed Ravana to be unable to cause violence to any woman who did not consent to being with him, his head splitting into a number of pieces if he did so. This incident is stated to explain why Ravana could not force the abducted Sita to submit to his desire.[33][34]
Ravana is worshipped as one of Shiva's most revered followers,[35] and he is even worshipped in some Shiva temples.[35][36][37]
King Shiv Shankar built a Ravana temple inKanpur,Uttar Pradesh. The Ravana temple is open once a year, on the day ofDashera, to perform puja for the welfare of Ravana.[38]
Ravana is also worshipped by Hindus ofBisrakh, who claim their town to be his birthplace.[39]
The Sachora Brahmins of Gujarat claim to be descendants of Ravana, and sometimes have "Ravan" as their surnames.[40]
Saraswat Brahmins from Mathura claim Ravana as a saraswat Brahmin as per his lineage.[41][42]
TheGondi people of central India claim to be descendants of Ravana, and have temples for him, his wife Mandodari, and their son Meghnad. They also state that Ravana was an ancient Gond king, the tenthdharmaguru of their tribe, and the eighteenth lingo (divine teacher). Annually onDussehra, the Gondis from the village ofParaswadi carry an image of Ravana riding on an elephant in a procession.[43]
The following temples in India are for Ravana as a Shiva Bhakta.
Effigies of Ravana are burned onVijayadashami in many places throughout India to symbolize Rama's triumph over evil.[46]
According to mythology, theravanahatha, an ancient bowedstring instrument, was created by Ravana and is still used as a Rajasthani folk instrument.[47]
In the Rin-spuns-pa Tibetan Ramayana, it is prophesied that Ravana will return as the Buddha incarnation of Vishnu in Kali Yuga.
The Arunachal Pradesh Tai Khamti Ramayana (Phra Chow Lamang) shows Rama as a Bodhisattva who was reborn so Ravana could torture him.
In the Laotian Buddhist textPhra Lak Phra Lam, Rama is a Bodhisattva and the embodiment of virtues, while Ravana is a Brahmin ("mahabrahma") son of Virulaha who is highly materialistic.[citation needed]
In the Cambodian Buddhist textPreah Ream, Buddha is an incarnation of Rama and Ravana is a rakshasa.[citation needed]
In the Thai Buddhist textRamakien, Ravana is a rakshasa[48] known as "Thotsakan" (ทศกัณฐ์, from Sanskrit दशकण्ठ, Daśakaṇṭha, "ten necks"), and is depicted with green skin.[citation needed]
In theKarandavyuha Sutra,Yama asks if the visitor in hell (Avalokitesvara), whom he hasn't seen yet, is a god or a demon, and whether he is Vishnu,Mahesvara, or the rakshasa Ravana.
Jain accounts vary from the traditional Hindu accounts of the Ramayana. The incidents are placed at the time of the 20thTirthankara,Munisuvrata. In Jainism, both Rama and Ravana were devout Jains.[49] Ravana was aVidyadhara king who had magical powers,[50] and Lakshmana, not Rama, was the one who ultimately killed Ravana.[51]
Pulavar Kuzhanthai's Ravana Kaaviyam is apanegyric on Ravana that is made up of 3,100 poetic stanzas in which Ravana is the hero. The book was released in 1946, and was subsequently banned by India'sCongress led government. The ban was later lifted in 1971.[52][53][54]
Sri Lanka named its first satelliteRaavana 1 after Ravana.[55]
Ravana appears as the primary antagonist infilms and television series based on theRamayana. Movies likeBhakta Ravana (1938) and itsTelugu (1940 and1958) andKannada (1958) adaptations as well as television seriesRaavan (2006-2008)[56] are focused on the tale on Ravana. TheTamil filmRaavanan (2010) and itsHindi counterpartRaavan (2010) narrate the epic from Ravana's perspective in a modern setting.
AuthorAnand Neelakantan published the novelAsura: Tale of the Vanquished in 2012, in which the character Ravana is depicted as a human-like figure.
AuthorAmish Tripathi's 2019 novelRaavan: Enemy of Aryavarta chronicles the life of Ravana until the time he kidnapsSita.[57][58] It is the third book in Tripathi's Ram Chandra Series.[59]
Hardeep Singh portrayed him in the 2024 Hindi filmSingham Again.
Summary by Stephen Knapp
| Preceded by | Emperor of Lanka | Succeeded by |
| Ikshvaku dynasty | .jpg) | |
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| Vanara | ||
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