RAVANA: THE RAKSHAS KING WHO CHALLENGED THE GOD

 

Image source: Google | image credit: templesofindia.net

Ramayana has been an integral part of our Indian culture since time immemorial. It taught us about the distinguishable features of a morally correct person and an unscrupulous individual. This isn’t just a scripture that tells about the story of a prince named Rama who starts his journey as an exile prince and finished it like a brave warrior who triumphed over the wrongdoers. This beautiful tale is the history of Ancient Bharatvarsa and it speaks about the monumental accomplishments of lord Ram whom we Hindus perceive as the seventh incarnation of Lord Vishnu.

Do we know much about the Antagonist of this beautiful journey? Do we know much about the unethical Rakshas king who challenged God?

Unfortunately, most of the Hindus have lacklustre information on the great Demon king Ravana. Majority of the scholars try to show Ravan in a positive way which is ridiculous and absurd.

In reality he was a knowledgeable person who lacked adequate ethics and was improper in nature that made him the prime antagonist of Ramayana.

Allow me to share some of the qualities of Ravan (good and bad) which I had gathered from various sources.

THE GOOD:

Ramayana the legend of prince Ram ©Nippon Ramayana Film Co.

1)   Ravan was a half-Brahmin: Most of the Hindus are aware of the ethnicity of Ravan as a Rakshas king who ruled over lankapuri but you will be surprised after knowing that Ravan was a ‘Brahmin’ too. His father (sage Visrava) was married to Rakshas princess Kaikeshi. The union of kaikeshi and Visrava resulted in the birth of Ravana which made him partly Rakshas/ partly Brahmin.

2)     His knowledge was beyond anyone’s reach: A Demon king who did research in Ayurveda and wrote books on it. He was an intellectual who wrote texts on various Ayurvedic medicines and its potential to cure various diseases. He was the one who devised Arka Shastra (an ayurvedic method of treating diseases)

3)     His devotion to Lord Shiva: He was an ardent devotee of Lord Shiva who composed Shiva Tandav Strotam. You will be surprised after hearing the story behind the name ‘Ravan’. The original name of Ravan was Dashanan/Dashgreev, one day he tried to relocate lord Shiva from Kailash to lankapuri (Sri Lanka) and he tried to lift the Kailash mountain by his bare hands, but lord Shiva didn’t like this gesture of Ravan so he put his foot on the mountain due to which the hands of ‘Dashanan’ got scrunched. The excruciating pain made him (Ravan) bawl. Impressed by the divine power of the Mahadev (Shiva) Ravan performed the Shiv Tandav Strotam which had impressed the lord and he gave Dashanan a new name, that name was Ravan.

THE BAD QUALITIES:

Ramayana the epic ©Maya Digital Media/Warner Bros India.

1)     Ravan’s Lust: One of the biggest flaws of the historical texts includes its vulnerability to get altered or changed by the efforts of scholars and researchers. Similarly in India Ravan has been perceived as a hero by a lot of people especially by the Hinduphobic community. These people never showcased or even mentioned the ill qualities of Ravan which includes his unmanageable ‘lust’. He failed to triumph over one of the deadliest sins which include the concupiscence that made him evil in nature. It’s disgusting to mention this particular part of the story in which Ravan raped his Daughter-in-law (Rambha). This specific incident put a stop to his lustful instincts as Ravan was cursed by his nephew (Nalakuvera-Husband of Rambha) that whenever he will try to behave forcibly with a woman, his head will explode.

Ramayana the epic © Maya Digital Media/Warner Bros Media.

2)    Ravan’s pride: Nothing can match the pride of Ravana. He was engulfed by the boons given by the Gods that made him feel like an immortal being, who is superior to the other creatures of the planet. One day his boastful nature instigated him to challenge the Vanar King of kishkindha named Bali for a duel. What happened next is the demon king’s humiliating defeat by the hands of the mighty Bali. He tormented and imprisoned Ravan in his armpits for six months.

3)     Ravan’s greed for power: like other mortal beings, Ravan was badly influenced by greed. The greed to become the most powerful king of the world made him go against his own stepbrother (Kubera). Kubera was the ruler of Lanka before Ravana’s regime due to which Ravan was bound to forcibly snatch away his brother’s kingdom which includes the glamorous yet incredulous Pushpak Vimana.

It doesn’t matter whether a person is intelligent or not. It doesn’t matter whether a person is capable to do new discoveries or research. What matters is its nature towards the community.

Ravan lacked the moral education due to which he met his fate by the hands of the almighty lord Ram. He was overwhelmed by the flaws of human nature which he never tried to change, due to which it was necessary for God to annihilate him and free this world from his sins.

JAI SHREE RAM