--- Genealogy --- Mark Title as "empty".

Descended from विष्णु thus: ब्रह्मा -- पुलस्त्य -- विश्रवस् -- कुम्भकर्ण .

Birth

पुलस्त्य , one of the प्रजापतिस् married हविर्भू ( मानिनी ) and a son called विश्रवस् was born to them.

रावण and कुम्भकर्ण were born to विश्रवस् of पुष्पोत्कटा , and विभीषण was born to him of राका , and खर and शूर्पणखा were born to him of मालिनी . The above version is based on verses--1 to 8 in Chapter 275 of the वन पर्व . But, according to उत्तर रामायण , रावण , विभीषण and कुम्भकर्ण were born to विश्रवस् of his wife called कैकसी . According to the अग्नि पुराण , पुष्पोत्कटा and कैकशि were one and the same.

Former births of कुम्भकर्ण

रावण and कुम्भकर्ण were originally the two देवस् called जय and विजय . विष्णु appointed them as gate-keepers at वैकुण्ठ . Once they stopped sages like Sanaka and others at the gates, and the latter cursed जय and विजय into राक्षसस् . When they complained about the curse to विष्णु he promised to welcome them back to वैकुण्ठ after they had lived three births as राक्षसस् . Accordingly जय was born as हिरण्याक्ष and विजय as हिरण्यकशिपु , both of them असुरस् . महाविष्णु incarnated himself as a Boar and killed हिरण्याक्ष and as नरसिंह he killed हिरण्यकशिपु . हिरण्याक्ष and हिरण्यकशिपु were reborn as रावण and कुम्भकर्ण respectively. महाविष्णु , during his incarnation as श्री राम killed both रावण and कुम्भकर्ण . रावण was reborn as शिशुपाल and कुम्भकर्ण as दन्तवक्त्र . Both of them were killed by महाविष्णु during his incarnation as श्री कृष्ण . Thus the देव called विजय , on account of the curse of Sanaka and other sages, passed through three lives as हिरण्यकशिपु , कुम्भकर्ण and दन्तवक्त्र and finally reached वैकुण्ठ . (Bhāgavata, 7th Skandha) .

कुम्भकर्ण secured boons

कुम्भकर्ण spent his childhood with his brothers at the आश्रम of his father on mount गन्धमादन . कुबेर was at the zenith of his glory at that time, having been crowned king of the यक्षस् , and also having got the पुष्पक विमान . The reputation of कुबेर kindled jealousy in कुम्भकर्ण and his brothers. They too performed penance in the forest on one foot for a thousand years. But, ब्रह्मा did not appear. They continued the penance without eating any food. खर and शूर्पणखा stayed there serving their brothers. Even after the second thousand years ब्रह्मा did not appear. Then रावण cut off his ten heads and made offerings of them to ब्रह्मा . Then ब्रह्मा appeared. ब्रह्मा restored his heads to रावण and he was granted the boon that he would not be killed by anybody but a man. The देवस् shuddered at the gift to रावण , and feared about the future in case कुम्भकर्ण too got such a boon. At their request सरस्वती danced on his tongue at the time of कुम्भकर्ण’स् request for a boon. कुम्भकर्ण wanted NIRDEVATVAM (Absence of all देवस् ). But by a slip of the tongue (caused by सरस्वती ) what he asked for was nidrāvatvam (sleep). ब्रह्मा granted him nidrāvatvam; he said that कुम्भकर्ण would sleep for six months of the year continuously. विभीषण got the boon that he should remember righteousness in danger and use the ब्रह्मास्त्र without any training in its use. The brothers returned home after securing the boons, and, after driving off कुबेर , the lord of लङ्का , रावण and his brothers took their abode there. [mh-3-275-1 ] Mahābhārata • Vana parva Uttara Rāmāyaṇa .

कुम्भकर्ण played a very important part in the राम-रावण war. Prominent warriors on the side of राम , like सुग्रीव , his ministers and लक्ष्मण fought with him. But, none of them could kill him. At last, श्री राम 's arrows killed him. (Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa, Yuddha Kāṇḍa, Chapter 67) .

कुम्भकर्ण is not to be viewed merely and purely as an evil character. His advice to रावण on various occasions shows noble traits of his character. When श्री राम with his army of monkeys appeared on the other side of the ocean रावण held a conference of his brothers, ministers and others at which कुम्भकर्ण spoke as follows:--"You abducted सीता without consulting us, and we would not therefore be responsible for the consequences of that action of yours. But, it is not proper that the younger brother should keep away when danger faces the elder one, and on that principle here I am ready to fight राम ."

These weighty words of कुम्भकर्ण throw considerable light on the character of कुम्भकर्ण .

(Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa, Yuddhakāṇḍa, Chapter 12) .