The राक्षस King of लङ्का who had ten heads.

Genealogy

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

Birth --- Mark Title as "empty".

विश्रवस् , grandson of ब्रह्मा and son of पुलस्त्य married कैकसी , daughter of सुमाली . While विश्रवस् and कैकसी were living in the forest श्लेष्मातक , कैकसी became pregnant. She delivered four children in four यामस् , with an interval of one याम between them. The elder three were the famous राक्षसस् , रावण , कुम्भकर्ण and विभीषण ; the fourth one, a girl, was named शूर्पणखा . (Kamba Rāmāyaṇa, Bālakāṇḍa)

कुबेर was another son of विश्रवस् born of another wife called देववर्णी alias ईलबिला . As soon as he came of age कुबेर captured the पुष्पक chariot and began ruling the kingdom with लङ्का as capital. (Uttara Rāmāyaṇa)

Previous lives of रावण

See under Jaya XI.

रावण secured boons

कैकसी ( रावण 's mother) who became envious of the pomp and prowess of कुबेर advised her son to secure boons from ब्रह्मा by तपस् and become equal to कुबेर . Accordingly he went to गोकर्ण with his brothers and began तपस् . कुम्भकर्ण did तपस् for 10,000 years; विभीषण also did तपस् for 10,000 years standing on one foot. रावण , standing in the middle of the five fires, meditated upon ब्रह्मा . Though 10,000 years passed thus, ब्रह्मा did not appear yet. रावण then cut one of his ten heads and made an offering of it to ब्रह्मा in the fire. Thus, within 9000 years he cut nine of his heads and offered them to ब्रह्मा in the fire. Lastly when he was about to cut off his tenth head, ब्रह्मा appeared and asked him to choose whatever boon he wanted. रावण chose the boon that from none but men should he meet with his death. कुम्भकर्ण desired to secure the boon of 'nirdevatva' (Absence of the devas) but secured by a slip of the tongue 'nidrāvatvam' (sleep). विभीषण chose devotion to विष्णु . On his return after securing the boons, रावण occupied लङ्का , drove away कुबेर and took his पुष्पक chariot. रावण further declared महाविष्णु to be his eternal enemy. Hearing about रावण 's victory the राक्षसस् from पाताल came to live in लङ्का .

Family life

रावन married मन्दोदरी , fosterdaughter of मयासुर and three sons, मेघनाद , अतिकाय and अक्षकुमार were born to the couple. He then conquered the whole world with the cooperation of his sons and other राक्षसस् . The अष्टदिक्पालकस् (protectors of the eight regions) were subjugated. He attacked देवलोक , but was defeated and imprisoned. मेघनाद by magical trickery captured इन्द्र and released रावण from custody. मेघनाद came to be called इन्द्रजित् from that day onwards.

कार्तवीर्यार्जुन and रावण

See under कार्तवीर्यार्जुन , Para 6.

Curses heaped on रावण

As a result of ruling the land, as a terror to the whole world, for many years and of his triumphal journey रावण had invited on his head eighteen शापस् (curses) as follows.

नलकूबर शाप

रावण once insulted रम्भा , the betrothed wife of नलकूबर during her tour at a place near अलका . On hearing about the insult नलकूबर cursed that रावण should die with his ten heads broken.

वेदवतीशाप

While वेदवती , the only daughter of sage कुशध्वज , was doing तपस् to secure श्री माधव as her husband. रावण committed rape on her and she cursed him thus:--"You and your family will be ruined by Lord नारायण on account of me."

ब्राह्मणशाप

He invited a Vedic ब्रह्मिन् to install the idol of त्रिपुरसुन्दरी given to him by शिव . As the ब्रह्मिन् happened to be a bit late to come, रावण imprisoned him for seven days, and the old ब्रह्मिन् cursed that रावण would be imprisoned seven months by a man.

नन्दिकेश्वरशाप

For calling him 'monkey' at कैलास , नन्दिकेश्वर cursed that रावण and his kingdom would be destroyed by monkeys.

वसिष्ठशाप

As वसिष्ठ refused रावण 's invitation to teach the Vedas etc. he took the former captive. When he was released from captivity by the solar King कुवलयाश्व , वसिष्ठ cursed that रावण and his family would be destroyed by those born in the solar dynasty.

अष्टावक्रशाप

रावण once saw sage अष्टावक्र at श्लेष्मातक and gave him a kick saying, 'Oh! handsome fellow! I shall cure your eight hunches", and the sage cursed रावण as follows:--For kicking me, a poor innocent sage, you will be kicked from head to foot and foot to head by monkeys."

दत्तात्रेयशाप

रावण once poured on his own head water kept purified by mantras by दत्तात्रेय to bathe the head of his Guru, and the latter cursed that रावण 's head would be polluted by the feet of monkeys.

द्वैपायनशाप

When रावण molested and wounded the lips of द्वैपायन 's sister in his own presence he cursed that रावण 's sister would be mutilated by a man and he would be humiliated by monkeys.

माण्डव्यशाप

During a pleasure trip of his with मन्दोदरी रावण cruelly manhandled माण्डव्यमहर्षि , when the latter cursed that रावण too would be roughly handled by a monkey.

अत्रिशाप

रावण once dragged by hair the wife of अत्रि in his very presence, and अत्रि cursed that रावण will have to witness his wife being denuded of her dress and dragged by the hair by monkeys.

नारदशाप

नारद refused to explain the meaning of 'Om' to रावण and the latter threatened to cut the tongue of नारद . नारद then cursed that all the ten heads of रावण would be cut by a man.

ऋतुवर्मशाप

रावण once raped मदनमञ्जरी , wife of ऋतुवर्मन् , who lived as an anchorite in the marutta forest, and the latter cursed that रावण would be killed by a man.

मौद्गल्यशाप

Once महर्षि मौद्गल्य was sitting in the स्वस्तिक pose resting his neck on the योगदण्ड (a short stick-like piece of wood with a handle) रावण happened to come there and he cut into two the योगदण्ड with his चन्द्रहास (sword) with the result that the महर्षि fell down with face upwards and broke his back-bone. The महर्षि then cursed that रावण 's चन्द्रहास would prove ineffective in future.

ब्राह्मणजननीशाप

Certain young brahmin girls who had gone for sea-bath were humiliated by रावण in the presence of their mothers when they cursed that the wife of रावण would be insulted in his very presence by monkeys.

अग्निशाप

रावण once humiliated स्वाहादेवी , wife of अग्नि in his very presence and अग्नि cursed that रावण 's wife would be humiliated by monkeys in his presence.

अनरण्यशाप

रावण killed by one blow on his chest King अनरण्य of the solar dynasty who sought refuge with him, and the King cursed that रावण would die with all his ten heads cut by the arrows of a prince of the solar dynasty.

बृहस्पति शाप

When रावण was about to return after conquering देवलोक and taking the देवस् captives, सुलेखादेवी , daughter of बृहस्पति tried to take shelter somewhere when रावण attempted to catch her by force. Then बृहस्पति cursed that रावण would die hit by the arrows of राम .

ब्रह्मदेवशाप

रावण tried to humiliate पुञ्जिकादेवी , daughter of ब्रह्मा , and the latter cursed that रावण would die with all his ten heads broken if he touched unwilling women.

रावण got चन्द्रहास

See under Candrahāsa.

He threatened देवस्

रावण , during his triumphal march with the armies, once came to the उशीरवीर mountain. Then the King called मरुत्त was performing महेश्वर यज्ञ on the plains of the mountain. इन्द्र and the other देवस् came to receive their portion of the offerings. But they ran away in fear on the arrival of रावण . इन्द्र assumed the form of a peacock, यम that of a crow, कुबेर that of a chameleon and वरुण that of a swan, and the देवस् , thus assuming various forms went away in different directions. मरुत्त got angry and got ready to fight रावण . But, as the महर्षिस् prevented him from it no fighting took place. रावण returned with the glories of victory.

He defeated काल

Once नारद felt the urge to witness a quarrel. He went to लङ्का and told रावण tales about काल , that काल was more powerful than रावण , that काल would soon be causing रावण 's death etc. These stories awakened the anger in रावण against काल , and the former, with a strong army challenged काल , and war between the two started. ब्रह्मा was in a fix, for he had given रावण the boon that the latter would be killed only by a man. At the same time he had given the boon to काल that anybody thrashed with his ( काल 's) club would die. ब्रह्मा , therefore, decided to end the fighting between काल and रावण somehow, and he approached काल and requested him to withdraw from fighting. Accordingly काल acknowledged defeat and thus the fighting ended.

रावण attacked पाताल

Afterwards रावण marched with his army to पाताल where he defeated तक्षक , the नाग King and exacted tributes from him. Then he attacked निवातकवचस् . When the fighting became very fierce ब्रह्मा intervened and brought about a compromise between the two. Next, रावण attacked सुरभि in वरुण 's palace, but the राक्षसस् who emerged from the pores on सुरभि 's body drove away रावण .

रम्भा --- Mark Title as "empty".

See under नलकूबर .

His death

रावण 's sister, शूर्पणखा met श्री राम and लक्ष्मण at पञ्चवटी and wanted first राम and then लक्ष्मण to marry her. But, लक्ष्मण cut away her nose, breasts etc. Enraged by this रावण abducted सीता . श्री राम , with the help of the monkey-army, killed रावण in war. (See under Rāma.

Synonyms of रावण

दशकन्धर , दशानन , दशास्य , पौलस्त्य , पुलस्त्यतनय , रक्षःपति , राक्षसाधिप , राक्षसमहेश्वर . (Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa and Kamba Rāmāyaṇa) .