Ravana

Birth, family, and early life

Parentage:

1. Father: Sage Vishrava (a learned brahmin, son of the rishi Pulastya).​
2. Mother: Kaikasi (or Kaikesi), from a rakshasa lineage.​

Siblings:

1. Brothers: Kumbhakarna, Vibhishana, Ahiravana (in some traditions), and step‑brother Kubera, the god of wealth.​
2. Sister: Shurpanakha.​

Stories describe Ravana as extraordinarily gifted from youth, rapidly mastering the Vedas, warfare, and various shastras under his father and other great teachers. He is also linked to mastering music and is often depicted with a veena, reflecting his reputation as a great musician.​

Tapasya, boons, and ten heads

Ravana performs severe tapasya (penance) to propitiate Lord Brahma and Lord Shiva, offering his heads one by one in sacrifice. Pleased, the gods restore and multiply his heads and grant powerful boons, making him nearly invulnerable to many divine and demonic beings. These ten heads are interpreted as symbolizing immense knowledge, representing his mastery over the four Vedas and six shastras, but also his pride and ego.​

A famous legend recounts that when Ravana tried to lift Mount Kailash, Shiva crushed him beneath it; Ravana then sang the Shiva Tandava Stotram, earning Shiva’s favor and the name “Ravana” (“he of the terrifying cry”).​

Rise to power and rule of Lanka

Ravana is said to have seized Lanka from his step‑brother Kubera, along with Kubera’s aerial chariot Pushpaka Vimana. As king, he ruled from a magnificent golden city described as prosperous and well‑administered, with advanced arts, sciences, and defenses. Later Sri Lankan lore portrays his reign as a period of significant development in science and Ayurveda, with several medical treatises attributed to him.​

Despite being a rakshasa, Ravana is portrayed as a capable and even just ruler towards his own subjects, maintaining order and wealth in Lanka, which contributes to his complex image in tradition.​

Character: qualities and flaws

Positive qualities recorded in tradition include:

1. Great scholar: Master of Vedic learning, astrology, and various shastras.​
2. Devotee: Deep bhakti to Shiva, author of hymns like the Shiva Tandava Stotram in later lore.​
3. Warrior and strategist: Skilled in many weapons and military tactics, able to defeat powerful foes including devas and vanaras.​
4. Musician: Often depicted as a maestro of the veena.​

His tragic flaws are:

1. Ego and pride in his strength and knowledge.​
2. Desire and arrogance, especially in ignoring wise counsel (such as Vibhishana’s advice to return Sita).​
3. Disrespect of dharma regarding women and other kingdoms.​

This combination leads to a portrayal of Ravana as a complex “heroic villain” rather than a one‑dimensional demon in many modern interpretations.​

Ravana in the Ramayana story

Key events involving Ravana in the Ramayana:

1. Shurpanakha episode: After Rama and Lakshmana reject Shurpanakha and Lakshmana disfigures her, she complains to Ravana and other rakshasas, planting the seed for Ravana’s revenge.​
2. Abduction of Sita: Ravana uses a deceptive plan with the demon Maricha disguised as a golden deer, lures Rama and Lakshmana away, and then kidnaps Sita, taking her to Lanka and keeping her in Ashoka Vatika.​
3. War in Lanka:
4. Rama, aided by Hanuman, Sugriva, and the vanara army, invades Lanka to rescue Sita.​
5. Ravana’s forces fight a long and fierce war; he defeats or wounds many heroes, including Lakshmana, at various stages.​
6. Vibhishana, disapproving of the abduction and Ravana’s obstinacy, joins Rama’s side.​

In the climactic battle, after many days of single combat, Rama finally kills Ravana with a divinely empowered arrow, fulfilling earlier curses and prophecies about Ravana’s death. Before his death, Ravana is sometimes depicted as offering profound last teachings on kingship and karma, emphasizing his stature as a fallen but insightful king.​

Death, legacy, and worship

Ravana’s death marks the liberation of Sita and the restoration of Rama’s honor, celebrated in festivals like Dussehra, where effigies of Ravana are burned to symbolize the destruction of evil. Yet in parts of India and Sri Lanka, Ravana is also remembered with a degree of respect:​

1. Some communities in India (for example, certain places in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh) regard him as a learned ancestor or son‑in‑law and perform limited forms of honor or ritual memory.​
2. In Sri Lankan lore, he appears as a legendary early ruler and scholar‑king, with sites linked to his story preserved as cultural and pilgrimage locations.​

Modern retellings often explore Ravana as a symbol of great potential ruined by unchecked ego and desire, turning his biography into a moral and philosophical study rather than a simple tale of a demon king.