60-585: Traditional Ravana is a demon -king of the island of Lanka and the chief antagonist in the Hindu epic Ramayana . In the Ramayana , Ravana is described as the eldest son of sage Vishrava and Kaikasi . He abducted Rama 's wife, Sita , and took her to his kingdom of Lanka , where he held her in the Ashoka Vatika . Rama, with the support of vanara King Sugriva and his army of vanaras, launched
120-581: A 20-armed Ravana shaking Mount Kailasa . The artists of Angkor also depicted the Battle of Lanka between the Rakshasas under the command of Ravana and the Vanaras or monkeys under the command of Rama and Sugriva . The 12th-century Angkor Wat contains a dramatic bas-relief of the Battle of Lanka between Ravana's Rakshasas and Rama 's monkeys. Ravana is depicted with ten heads and twenty arms, mounted on
180-525: A boon and Brahma reduced it to sleeping for six months, after which he would sleep again as soon as his appetite was satisfied. In the Bhagavata Purana , Kumbhakarna is said to be the incarnation of the gatekeeper deity Vijaya . Vijaya, along with his brother and fellow gatekeeper Jaya , was punished by the Four Kumaras for impiety while they guarded the sacred realm of Vishnu . Vijaya
240-636: A chariot drawn by creatures that appear to be a mixture of horse, lion, and bird. Vibhishana is shown standing behind and aligned with Rama and his brother Lakshmana . Kumbhakarna , mounted on a similar chariot, is shown fighting Sugriva . This battle is also depicted in a less refined bas-relief at the 12th-century temple of Preah Khan . Rakshasa have long been a race of villains in the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. They appear as animal-headed humanoids (generally with tiger or monkey heads) with their hands inverted (palms of its hands are where
300-545: A dialogue between the Buddha and a group of rakshasa daughters, who swear to uphold and protect the Lotus Sutra . They also teach magical dhāraṇīs to protect followers who also uphold the sutra. Five rakshasha are part of Mahakala 's retinue. They are Kala and Kali, husband and wife, and their offspring Putra, Bhatri and Bharya. The Lankavatara Sutra mentions the island of Sri Lanka as land of Rakshasas. Their king
360-461: A few of his maternal uncles, were generals in the Lanka army. 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 establish rakshasa rule in the three worlds . Ravana's granduncle was Malyavan , who opposed the war with Rama and Lakshmana. He also had another granduncle named Mali who
420-487: A great appetite and slept for six months at a time. Kumbhakarna's father is Vishrava , and his siblings are Ravana , Vibhishana , and Shurpanakha . He has two sons, Kumbha and Nikumbha , with his wife Vajrajwala, the daughter of Bali and granddaughter of Virochana , who also fought in the war against Rama and was killed. In defense of his kingdom, Ravana charged into battle and was humiliated by Rama and his army after underestimating his enemy. He decided he needed
480-439: A great warrior in Hindu texts . He is said to have slaughtered 8,000 vanaras over the course of Rama 's mission to rescue Sita . Vibhishana narrated that Kumbhakarna had been born with immense strength, having subdued both Indra and Yama , striking the former in the chest with the broken tusk of Airavata . At the bequest of Indra , Brahma cursed the rakshasa to "sleep like he is dead". On Ravana's request, he commuted
540-757: A modern setting. Author Amish Tripathi 's 2019 novel Raavan: Enemy of Aryavarta chronicles the life of Ravana until the time he kidnaps Sita . It is the third book in Tripathi's Ram Chandra Series. Rakshasa Rākshasa ( Sanskrit : राक्षस , IAST : rākṣasa , pronounced [raːkʂɐsɐ] ; Pali : rakkhasa ; lit. "preservers") are a race of usually malevolent beings prominently featured in Hinduism , Buddhism , Jainism and Folk Islam . They reside on Earth but possess supernatural powers, which they usually use for evil acts such as disrupting Vedic sacrifices or eating humans. The term
600-788: A rescue operation for Sita against Ravana in Lanka. Ravana was subsequently slain, and Rama rescued his beloved wife Sita. Ravana was well-versed in the six shastras and the four Vedas , including the Shiva Tandava Stotra . Ravana is also considered to be the most revered devotee of Shiva . Images of Ravana are often seen associated with Shiva at temples. He also appears in the Buddhist Mahayana text Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra , in Buddhist Jatakas , as well as in Jain Ramayanas . In Vaishnava scriptures , he
660-467: A saraswat Brahmin as per his lineage. There has also been reference to "Ravani", the lineage of Upadhyaya Yasastrata II, who was of the Gautama gotra and Acharya Vasudatta's son, and described as "born of Ravani". The Gondi 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,
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#1732773279384720-621: A thousand years, the imprisoned Ravana sang Shiva Tandava Stotra , a hymn in praise of Shiva, who finally blessed him and granted him an invincible sword and a powerful linga (Shiva's iconic symbol, Atmalinga) to worship. But this incident has little to no evidence in Valmiki Ramayana. Ravana's parents were the sage Vishrava (son of Pulastya ) and Kaikesi (daughter of Sumali and Ketumati ). Ravana had seventeen maternal uncles and three maternal aunts. Dhumraksha , Prahastha , Akampana , Vajramushti , Suparshwa and Virupaksha ,
780-433: 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. Ravana has many other popular names such as Dasis Ravana, Dasis Sakvithi Maha Ravana, Dashaanan, Ravula, Lankapati, Lankeshwar, Lankeshwaran, Ravanasura and Ravanaeshwaran. Ravana is depicted and described as having ten heads, although he
840-532: Is also used to describe asuras , a class of power-seeking beings that oppose the benevolent devas . They are often depicted as antagonists in Hindu scriptures, as well as in Buddhism and Jainism . The female form of rakshasa is rakshasi . Brahmā, in a form composed of the quality of foulness, produced hunger, of whom anger was born: and the god put forth in darkness beings emaciate with hunger, of hideous aspects, and with long beards. Those beings hastened to
900-444: Is depicted as one of Vishnu 's cursed doorkeepers. The word Rāvaṇa ( Sanskrit : रावण) means "Roaring" (active), the opposite of Vaiśravaṇa which means to "hear distinctly" (passive). Both Ravana and Vaiśravaṇa, who is commonly known as Kubera , are considered to be patronymics derived from "sons of Vishrava ". Ravana was a title later taken on by Dashānana, and it means "the one with ten (dasha) faces (anana)". Further, roravana
960-559: Is depicted with green skin. In the Karandavyuha 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 20th Tirthankara , Munisuvrata . In Jainism, both Rama and Ravana were devout Jains. Ravana
1020-414: Is regarded to have once caught sight of the apsara Rambha 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
1080-704: Is said to have possessed the nectar of immortality, which was stored inside his belly thanks to a celestial boon from Brahma . 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. Ravana was born to the Brahmin sage Vishrava and the Rakshasa princess Kaikasi in Treta Yuga . Villagers from Bisrakh in Uttar Pradesh claim that Bisrakh
1140-483: Is shown anchoring the line of Asuras. A bas-relief at the 12th-century temple of Angkor Wat depicts the figures churning the ocean. It includes Ravana anchoring the line of Asuras that are pulling on the serpent's head. Scholars have speculated that one of the figures in the line of Devas is Ravana's brother Vibhishana . They pull on a serpent's tail to churn the Ocean of Milk. Another bas-relief at Angkor Wat shows
1200-630: Is sometimes shown with only nine heads since he cut one off to convince Shiva. He is described as a devout follower of Shiva, a great scholar, a capable ruler, and a maestro of the Veena . Ravana is also depicted as the author of the Ravana Samhita , a book on Hindu astrology , and the Arka Prakasham , a book on Siddha medicine and treatment. Ravana possessed a thorough knowledge of Siddha and political science . In some later versions, he
1260-540: Is stated to explain why Ravana could not force the abducted Sita to submit to his desire. Ravana is worshipped as one of Shiva's most revered followers, and he is even worshipped in some Shiva temples. Ravana is worshipped by the Kanyakubja Brahmins of the Vidisha region, who see him as a savior and a sign of prosperity, claiming Ravana was also a Kanyakubja Brahmin. Thousands of Kanyakubja Brahmins of
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#17327732793841320-603: Is the Rakshasa called Ravana, who invites Buddha to Sri Lanka for delivering the sermon in the land. There are other Rakhasas from the land, such as Wibisana, who is believed to be the brother of Ravana in Sri Lankan Buddhist mythology . In The Lotus-Born: The Life Story of Padmasambhava, recorded by Yeshe Tsogyal , Padmasambhava receives the nickname of "Rakshasa" during one of his wrathful conquests to subdue Buddhist heretics . Jain accounts vary from
1380-543: The ravanahatha , an ancient bowed string instrument , was created by Ravana and is still used as a Rajasthani folk instrument. 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
1440-845: The Bhagavata Purana , Ravana and his brother Kumbhakarna are said to be reincarnations of Jaya and Vijaya , gatekeepers at Vaikuntha (the abode of Vishnu ), and were cursed to be born on Earth for their insolence. These gatekeepers refused entry to the Sanatha Kumara monks who, because of their powers and austerity, appeared as young children. For their insolence, the monks cursed them to be expelled from Vaikuntha and to be born on Earth. 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
1500-450: The Hindu accounts of Rakshasa. According to Jain literature , Rakshasa was a kingdom of civilized and vegetarian people belonging to the race of Vidyadhara , who were devotees of Tirthankara . Kejawèn -influenced Indonesian Muslims view the Rakshasas as the result of people whose soul is replaced by the spirit of a devil ( shayāṭīn ). The devils are envious of humans and thus attempt to possess their body and minds. If they succeed,
1560-674: The Mahabharata, Ghatotkacha was summoned by Bhima to fight on the Pandava side in the Kurukshetra War . Invoking his magical powers, he wrought great havoc in the Kaurava army. In particular, after the death of Jayadratha , when the battle continued on past sunset, his powers were at their most effective (at night). After performing many heroic deeds on the battlefield and fighting numerous duels with other great warriors (including
1620-646: The Shakta divine weapon. A temple in Manali , Himachal Pradesh , honors Ghatotkacha; it is located near the Hidimba Devi Temple . Rakshasa heroes fought on both sides in the Kurukshetra war. Many Rakshasas appear in various Buddhist Scriptures. In Chinese tradition rakshasa are known as luosha ( 羅刹 / 罗刹 ). In Japan, they are known as rasetsu ( 羅刹 ). Chapter 26 of the Lotus Sutra includes
1680-841: The Heights," which aired on December 20, 1974. Rakshasa appears in the Unicorn: Warriors Eternal episode "Darkness Before Dawn". He is a humanoid tiger similar to the D&;D depiction. This version is a fierce but benevolent guardian of the jungle who allies with Merlin against the Evil. In the film World War Z , Rakshasa were mentioned in reference to the zombies in India. In Indonesian and Malaysian variants of Malay which have significant Sanskrit influence, raksasa now means "giant", "gigantic", "huge and strong";
1740-636: The Laotian Buddhist text Phra 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. In the Cambodian Buddhist text Preah Ream , Buddha is an incarnation of Rama and Ravana is a rakshasa. In the Thai Buddhist text Ramakien , Ravana is a rakshasa known as "Thotsakan" (ทศกัณฐ์, from Sanskrit दशकण्ठ, Daśakaṇṭha, "ten necks"), and
1800-519: The Lord, they chose the latter option. The curse of the first birth was fulfilled by Hiranyakashipu and his brother Hiranyaksha in Satya Yuga , when they were both vanquished by earlier avatars of Vishnu (Hiranyaksha by Varaha , and Hiranyakashipu by Narasimha ). Ravana and his brother Kumbhakarna were born to fulfill the curse in their second birth as enemies of Vishnu in Treta Yuga . The curse of
1860-529: The Malaysian variant recognises the word as an outright official equivalent to "monster" whereas the Indonesian variant uses it more in colloquial usage. Kumbhakarna Kumbhakarna ( Sanskrit : कुम्भकर्ण, lit. pot-eared ) is a powerful rakshasa and younger brother of Ravana from the Hindu epic Ramayana . Despite his gigantic size and appetite, he is described as a virtuous character and
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1920-490: The Rakshasa Alamvusha, the elephant-riding King Bhagadatta , and Aswatthaman , the son of Drona ), Ghatotkacha encountered the human hero Karna . At this point in the battle, the Kaurava leader Duryodhana had appealed to his best fighter, Karna , to kill Ghatotkacha, as the entire Kaurava army was near annihilation due to his ceaseless strikes from the air. Karna possessed a divine weapon, Shakti , granted by
1980-596: The Rakshasas could represent exaggerated, supernatural depictions of demonized forest-dwellers who were outside the caste society. In books 3-6 of the Rāmāyaṇa , the rākṣasas are the main antagonists of the narrative. The protagonist Rāma slays many rākṣasas throughout the epic, including Tāṭakā , Mārīca , and Rāvaṇa . In the epic, the rākṣasas are portrayed as mainly demonic beings who are aggressive and sexual. They can assume any form they wish, which Rāvaṇa uses to good effect to trick and kidnap Sītā, Rāma's wife, which drives
2040-437: The backs of the hands would be on a human). They are masters of necromancy, enchantment and illusion (which they mostly use to disguise themselves) and are very hard to kill, especially due to their partial immunity to magical effects. They ravenously prey upon humans as food and dress themselves in fine clothing. This version of the rakshasa was heavily inspired by an episode of Kolchak: The Night Stalker entitled "Horror in
2100-541: The battle and devastated Rama's army. After a battle against Hanuman and Sugriva , he knocked the latter unconscious and took him prisoner. Lakshmana and Kumbhakarna dueled for a long period, leaving both of them exhausted. In his battle against Rama, Kumbhakarna had one arm cut off by the Vayuastra and the other mutilated by the Indrastra. Still, he raged towards Rama, opening his mouth to swallow him whole, and
2160-465: The curse to have the rakshasa sleep for six months at a time, and wake up for other six months to wreak havoc and devour to his heart's content. In a popular retelling of this tale, Kumbhakarna, accompanied by his brothers Ravana and Vibhishana , performed a major yajna to please Brahma . Indra was worried and jealous of his strength so he went to Brahma before Kumbhakarna's boon could come to fruition. When Kumbhakarna asked for his boon, his tongue
2220-403: The deity. Such of them as exclaimed, “Oh preserve us!” were thence called Rākṣasas. Those created beings, overwhelmed by hunger, attempted to seize the waters. Those among them who said—“we shall protect these waters”, are remembered as Rākṣasas. Rakshasas were most often depicted as shape-shifting, fierce-looking, enormous monstrous-looking creatures, with two fangs protruding from the top of
2280-540: The form of any creature. The female equivalent of rakshasa is rakshasi. In the world of the Ramayana and Mahabharata , Rakshasas were a populous race. There were both good and evil rakshasas, and as warriors they fought alongside the armies of both good and evil. They were powerful warriors, expert magicians and illusionists. As shape-changers, they could assume different physical forms. As illusionists, they were capable of creating appearances which were real to those who believed in them or who failed to dispel them. Some of
2340-474: The god Indra. It could be used only once and Karna had been saving it to use on his arch-enemy Arjuna , the best Pandava fighter. Unable to refuse Duryodhana, Karna used the Shakti against Ghatotkacha, killing him. This is considered to be the turning point of the war. After his death, the Pandava counselor Krishna smiled, as he considered the Pandava prince Arjuna to be saved from certain death, as Karna had used
2400-442: The help of his brother Kumbhakarna, who woke up only after 1,000 elephants walked over him. When informed of Ravana's war with Rama, Kumbhakarna tried to convince Ravana that what he is doing was wrong, that Rama is the avatar of Vishnu , and that Sita is an avatar of Lakshmi . However, Ravana was deaf to these words and Kumbhakarna chose to fight in the battle due to loyalty and affection to his brother and homeland. He joined
2460-506: The human adapts to the new soul and gains their qualities, turning the person into a Rakshasa. The artists of Angkor in Cambodia frequently depicted Ravana in stone sculpture and bas-relief . The " Nāga bridge" at the entrance to the 12th-century city of Angkor Thom is lined with large stone statues of Devas and Asuras engaged in churning the Ocean of Milk . The ten-headed Ravana
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2520-469: The most popular images of Shiva is called "Ravananugraha", which was popular in the Gupta era . It depicts Ravana beneath Mount 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. According to scriptures, Ravana once tried to lift Mount Kailash, but Shiva pushed the mountain into place and trapped Ravana beneath it. For
2580-589: 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. Ravana and his two brothers, Kumbhakarna and Vibhishana , performed penance on Mount Gokarna for 10,000 years and won boons from Brahma. Ravana
2640-514: The mouth and having sharp, claw-like fingernails. They were shown as being mean, growling beasts, and as insatiable man-eaters that could smell the scent of human flesh. Some of the more ferocious ones were shown with flaming red eyes and hair, drinking blood with their cupped hands or from human skulls (similar to representations of vampires in later Western mythology). Generally they could fly, vanish, and had maya (magical powers of illusion), which enabled them to change size at will and assume
2700-686: The priest of the Asuras, as his minister, and in other accounts, Brihaspati , the priest of the Devas. 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 peaceful yajna , and invited Brihaspati to start the recitation of Chandi. In
2760-403: The primary antagonist in films and television series based on the Ramayana . Movies like Bhakta Ravana (1938) and its Telugu ( 1940 and 1958 ) and Kannada ( 1958 ) adaptations as well as television series Raavan (2006-2008) are focused on the tale on Ravana. The Tamil film Raavanan (2010) and its Hindi counterpart Raavan (2010) narrate the epic from Ravana's perspective in
2820-446: The rakshasas were said to be man-eaters, and made their gleeful appearance when the slaughter on a battlefield was at its worst. Occasionally they served as rank-and-file soldiers in the service of one or another warlord. Aside from their treatment of unnamed rank-and-file Rakshasas, the epics tell the stories of certain members of these beings who rose to prominence, sometimes as heroes but more often as villains. Thapar suggests that
2880-560: The rest of the narrative. The rākṣasas reside in the forests south of the Gangetic plain and in the island fortress of Laṅkā , both far away from the lands of Kosala and the home of Rāma. In Laṅkā, the capital of Rāvaṇa, the rākṣasas live in a complex society comparable to the humans of Ayodhyā , where some rākṣasas such as Vibhīṣaṇa are moral beings. The Pandava hero Bhima was the nemesis of forest-dwelling Rakshasas who dined on human travellers and terrorized human settlements. In
2940-480: The tenth dharmaguru of their tribe, and the eighteenth lingo (divine teacher). Annually on Dussehra , the Gondis from the village of Paraswadi carry an image of Ravana riding on an elephant in a procession. The following temples in India are for Ravana as a Shiva Bhakta. Effigies of Ravana are burned on Vijayadashami in many places throughout India to symbolize Rama's triumph over evil. According to mythology,
3000-504: The third birth was fulfilled by Dantavakra and Shishupala in the Dvapara Yuga , when they both were slain by Krishna , the eighth avatar. Ravana had fought with the demons named Nivatakavacha 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. Ravana had defeated
3060-444: The vanara warriors namely Hanuman, Sugriva, Neela and even Rama's brother Lakshmana twice during his war with Rama. 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. Once, upon hearing a discourse from Sage Sanatkumara , Ravana attempted to invade Vaikuntha . Only Ravana managed to enter Vaikuntha's capital, Shwetadwipa, where he
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#17327732793843120-798: The village Ravangram of Netaran, in the Vidisha District of Madhya Pradesh , perform daily puja in the Ravana temple and offer naivedyam or bhog (a ritual of sacrifice to the gods). King Shiv Shankar built a Ravana temple in Kanpur , Uttar Pradesh . The Ravana temple is open once a year, on the day of Dashera , to perform puja for the welfare of Ravana. Ravana is also worshipped by Hindus of Bisrakh , who claim their town to be his birthplace. The Sachora Brahmins of Gujarat claim to be descendants of Ravana, and sometimes have "Ravan" as their surnames. Saraswat Brahmins from Mathura claim Ravana as
3180-466: Was a Vidyadhara king who had magical powers, and Lakshmana, not Rama, was the one who ultimately killed Ravana. Pulavar Kuzhanthai 's Ravana Kaaviyam is a panegyric 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's Congress led government. The ban was later lifted in 1971. Sri Lanka named its first satellite Raavana 1 after Ravana. Ravana appears as
3240-447: Was blessed with a boon that would make him invincible to all the creations of Brahma, except for humans. He also received weapons, a chariot, as well as the ability to shapeshift from Brahma. According to the Ramayana , demigods approached Brahma since Ravana was causing harm on Earth. Lord Vishnu appeared and gave blessings that he will incarnate as a human (Rama) and kill Ravana since his invincibility boon did not include humans. One of
3300-552: Was hopelessly outmatched by the inhabitants and was forced to retreat. He killed Anaranya, the king of Ayodhya , although he cursed Ravana to be slain by Rama. Ravana had wrestled his brother Kubera and vanquished him for the Pushpaka Vimana . He also fought Marutta (Chakravarti King of Ushiraviga), Gadhi ( Vishwamitra 's father), Dushyanta ( Bharata 's father), Suratha (King of Vidarbha ), Gaya (Chakravarti king of Dharmaranya), and Paurava (King of Anga ). Ravana
3360-434: Was initially sentenced to mortality, but after appealing to Vishnu, their sentences were reduced to just three lifetimes, allowing them to return to Vaikuntha . While his brother Jaya became Ravana, Vijaya became Kumbhakarna during their second of three incarnations on Earth. Kumbhakarna is portrayed as a loyal, powerful, and fearless character who fought to defend his brother and land out of obligation and affection. He had
3420-416: Was killed by Vishnu . Ravana had 2 full brothers, 8 half brothers, 1 full sister and 3 half sisters. Ravana had three wives, Mandodari , the daughter of the celestial architect Maya , Dhanyamalini, and a third wife. His sons from his three wives were Meghanada , Atikaya , Akshayakumara , Narantaka , Devantaka , Trishira , and Prahasta . In some accounts, Ravana is said to have had Shukracharya ,
3480-536: Was met with a volley of arrows. In the Kamba Ramayanam , Kumbhakarna acknowledges the divinity of Rama, but informs him of his dharma to fight for his brother, and only urges the prince to keep Vibhishana safe from harm. With his desire granted, he charged against Rama with his feet severed by crescent arrows. He was slain only when the Indrastra was deployed by Rama. Kumbakarna's head was decapitated, and
3540-502: Was named after Vishrava, and that Ravana was born there. Ravana's paternal grandfather, the sage Pulastya , was one of the ten Prajapatis , or mind-born sons of Brahma , and one of the Saptarishi (seven great sages) in the first Manvantara (age of Manu ). His maternal grandfather was Sumali (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
3600-404: Was tied by the goddess Saraswati , who acted on Indra's request. Instead of asking for Indrāsana (the throne of Indra), he asked for Nidrāsana (a bed for sleeping). It is also said that he intended to ask for Nirdevatvam (annihilation of the devas) and instead asked for Nidravatvam (sleep). His request was instantly granted. However, his brother Ravana requested Brahma to undo this curse as
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