General

A दैत्य King, who ruled त्रिलोकपुरी , a country thousands of miles away from India. त्रिलोकपुरी was an island at the centre of the seas. He was a terror to the whole world and possessed a thousand heads and two thousand hands.

Secured boon

This रावण once went to सत्यलोक and performed the most intense तपस् for many years. Yet, ब्रह्मा did not appear and then he began cutting his heads one after the other and offering them in the fire. Nine hundred and ninetynine of his heads were cut thus. When he was about to cut the last head also, ब्रह्मा , fearing the end of the world, appeared and granted him the following three boons.

You will not die at the hands of anyone, but a woman.

ब्रह्मास्त्र , which would annihilate, will be at your disposal.

You will also possess an aerial chariot for travels as you please. सहस्रमुख , who returned to his country with the boons became emperor of all दैत्यस् and then conquered heaven, पाताल , कैलास , वैकुण्ठ and the eight regions of the world.

He then defeated पातालरावण and wedded his only daughter इन्दुमुखी . He got as a present a weapon called कठोरकुठार . He propagated in the world the customs and practices of heaven with the result that all the customs of the देवस् were derogated. Good people felt harassed. In the rise of unrighteousness righteousness became helpless.

Curse

Once on his way to his father-in-law's house सहस्रमुखरावण raped a विद्याधर woman, चञ्चलाक्षी , who was performing तपस् of लक्ष्मीदेवी and चञ्चलाक्षी cursed him that लक्ष्मीदेवी would kill him.

Son

वज्रबाहु was सहस्रमुख 's son. He secured from शिव पाशुपतास्त्र and an armour impenetrable by anyone. वज्रबाहु captured इन्द्र and सुब्रह्मण्य killed the former.

Death

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सहस्रमुख had an army-chief named बाण and both of them together did incalculable harm to the three worlds. श्री राम was King of अयोध्या at the time, and Devas and sages complained to him about सहस्रमुख and as soon as the complainants left अयोध्या , सुग्रीव and विभीषण came there. They told राम about the abduction by सहस्रमुख 's second son, चन्द्रगुप्त of सुग्रीव 's daughter and विभीषण 's daughter-in-law. At once श्री राम , along with लक्ष्मण , सुग्रीव , विभीषण , हनूमान् and a great army of monkeys reached सहस्रमुख 's capital city. श्री राम sent word to him through हनूमान् that सुग्रीव 's daughter and विभीषण 's daughter-in-law should be returned, Indra should be released and that pardon should be begged for, for his errors. Angered at this message सहस्रमुख deputed बाण to fight श्री राम . बाण was killed in battle. (See under Bāṇa IV) . Then ensued a fierce battle between राम and सहस्रमुख , the latter aided by चन्द्रगुप्त . अङ्गद was about to be overpowered by चन्द्रगुप्त , and then the following celestial voice was heard: " चन्द्रगुप्त will not die as long as his wife पद्मावती is reciting ब्रह्ममन्त्र imparted by ब्रह्मा ." Then विभीषण sent हनूमान् to the women's quarters and as a result of the latter using a ' कूटतन्त्रयन्त्र ' great confusion and quarrels broke out among the women-folk, and utilising the opportunity अङ्गद killed चन्द्रगुप्त .

सहस्रमुख fought श्री राम single-handed. All tactics of राम proved to be of no use. Then he remembered ब्रह्मा 's boon to सहस्रमुख and चञ्चलाक्षी 's curse upon him. Immediately श्री राम brought down सीता from अयोध्या and the latter shot the शक्तिक arrow at the throat of सहस्रमुख and he was killed. (Kamba Rāmāyaṇa, Uttarakāṇḍa) ,